Our Christian Posture Part 1 by Pastor Larry Trummel, Gateway Church Livermore

Good morning brothers and sisters and friends in Christ. It's my privilege to be here and to minister the Word of God. I Do hope and pray as I'm sure you do as well that brother Josh Will be refreshed in his time away and especially won't be concerned about what happens here on the Lord's Day.

I Trust I can be faithful to the charge that's been given to me This morning. I don't know if you've been told or not, but I've been invited That may be rescinded. I don't know but next week as well and During This session this morning and God willing next week.

Introducing the Theme of Christian Posture

I want to take the opportunity To look with you in the Word of God on a topic that I've just pulled together called our Christian posture. Now that may sound a little bit strange to you when we're thinking about things of the Bible talking about posture.

Because that's a word that refers to our physical position our bearing if you will in our bodies, but sure enough the Bible does teach us regarding spiritual posture and I've chosen that word because for me it captures best the Teaching on this and I hope to show you that from the Word of God in just a few minutes as well.

It may not be a perfect fit. I explained to the congregation in Livermore that I felt like I was taking maybe a little bit of liberty and Accommodating that term to what I saw the teaching in the scripture, but be that as it may that's what I've chosen a consideration of our spiritual or Christian posture.

Posture is important. It's important physically when I grew up in that educational system many years ago if a teacher saw a student slouching or Slumped over or not sitting up straight at the desk guess what happened the student was called out.

And we were told you know sit up straight because posture was important. We were told if you don't do that your back's going to grow like that and you're going to be that way. I don't know if I listened very carefully or not my father-in-law God bless his soul lived to 95 years old and Up to the hour before he took his last breath.

Not only was he of a clear mind. But he had a very good posture his head was up his shoulders were back and his spine was straight a 95 year old man with excellent posture. Well, I'm thinking about spiritual posture what the Bible teaches us about our life of faith.

And the posture the position that we have and that we take now if you'll turn with me. Back to that reading that was done from the book of Deuteronomy. I'll show you what I'm talking about from the Word of God here from Deuteronomy chapter 6.

I Want to illustrate this just very briefly here from verse 7 of Course there's a context to it and the brother read the context. But I want you to just look at verse 7 of Deuteronomy 6 that says and this is the new King James.

You shall teach them diligently. That is the words that I'm giving you. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house when you walk by the way when you lie down and When you rise up now, there are different places, of course that are mentioned in that verse and whatever Position or place you may be in fathers and children.

It doesn't really matter. There's a corresponding posture that's put with it and one thing that remains true school is always in session and you're always teaching and The teaching can take place with reference to your posture whether you're sitting in your house.

That's a posture or whether you're walking by the way or Lying down or when you rise up now, there are four literal positions of the body that are mentioned in that verse sit walk lie and rise up and it doesn't matter which posture you're in the Word of God says the fathers are teach to teach their children regarding these things.

Now just want you to note that literal posture now turn to the book of the Psalms the very first Psalm, please Psalm number one. And the very first verse of the Psalms Also has a reference to posture.

When it says Psalm 1 in verse 1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly. Nor stands in the path of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and so forth and here The psalmist is talking about here the righteous man and things that will characterize the righteous man a righteous man Who can find but when you find him you will notice something about his posture.

You will notice for example that when this man is walking He's not walking in the counsel of the ungodly and when his posture is a posture of standing He's not standing in the paths of sinners and when he's sitting he's not sitting in the seat of the scornful.

Here there are three possible postures and I want you to notice the difference between Deuteronomy 6 and Psalm 1 whereas in Deuteronomy those are literal postures. The position of the body but in Psalm 1 is it literal he's using figurative language.

He's using if you will metaphorical language to describe the posture of a righteous man. That's what I mean when I'm talking about our Christian posture as Explained or as mentioned and referenced in Psalm verse 1 now I have to admit to you, I don't know if I'll get this far or not, but There are four there are more than that in the Bible, but there are four Postures that I would like to be able to cover with you today.

I'm only going to do one and Perhaps God willing we'll be able to get the others, but there are four that I would like to be able to cover. And I want to I want to visualize those for you as well as verbalize those for you.

You're going to see them and you're going to hear them. The first posture is this I'm sitting. We're going to look at sitting the Christian posture of sitting. The second one is this I'm walking. We have a spiritual posture of walking.

The third one is this I'm standing. And The fourth and final you have to use your imagination. You have a vivid imagination. It's this I'm running. Believe it or not see it in your mind for Christian postures sitting walking standing and running now.

Several things I want to say about that before we get into the first one and that is there is a Scriptural order that those would come to us in the Bible. And I've given them to you in the order in which they would flow out of the scripture now.

That's not a logical order that you would think of in your mind of Sitting walking standing and running it seems a little maybe mixed up and confused, but remember we're not doing the physical. We're doing the spiritual, and this is the way it will fall out for us in the scripture.

Another thing I want us to know before we even get into them and that is of the four that I've mentioned. However many we get to in the messages that of the four there's only one and it's the first one that is never used in the scripture as an imperative as a command as a duty of the people of God.

We are never told in the scripture sit. Now that's a good word for the family pet when he's being a little annoying sit. Fido. Or a wayward child take a timeout and go over there and sit. But it's never told the children of God to sit and I'll show you why momentarily here.

Only the one is not an imperative the others are. That we should walk and stand and that we should run as well. Now there's a good reason for that and there's a good reason that sitting is the first Christian posture.

And that it's not an imperative, but we're going to see. The the old writers the old writers had a saying about grace. I don't know if you've ever heard it or not, and I don't know where I came up with it.

But they had an old saying that the sign of grace is more grace. You ever heard that one? Never heard that one the sign of grace is more grace in other words. How do you know you have special grace? If you do that grace will work itself out in other graces.

Beginning with the grace of faith out of which will come your love and your hope and your devotion and all these other things. Well being seated is the first grace that we have in this posture. How do you know that you are seated seated in Christ?

How you know you're seated in Christ is because you're walking in Christ and you're standing firm for the faith and you're running the race of life and. So being seated you see is not a command. It's a given out of which then the other imperatives come.

That biblical indicative drives the Christian Imperatives. You've probably heard that a thousand times. Then one other thing I want to say before we get to this first one is that in the physical world.

It is impossible to combine those postures in The physical world it's not possible for you to sit and run at the same time. Nor to walk or stand at the same time. But remember we're not in the physical world.

We're in the spiritual world and with God all things are possible. And so we are always to be seated walking standing and running all of these together. Having said that let's look at the first one then our first Christian posture.

That of being seated now where we have to begin with this and if go ahead and start turning if you will to the book of Ephesians. To the first chapter where we have to start with this is Being. Is the study the scripture that shows us here of the seating of Christ?

We begin not with ourselves what we begin with our Lord Jesus Christ the seating of Christ and what we're going to discover in this first chapter of Ephesians regarding Christ in his posture is That he has been given the best seat in the house.

Ephesians chapter 1 we read from verse 15 down through chapter 2 and verse 7, but I want you to look especially at 20 of Ephesians 1. Let me go back up just one verse and said it where it says here. And he wants us to know what is the exceeding greatness of his power?

Toward us who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and Seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places. We begin here with Christ and the seating of Christ now brothers and sisters.

May I be your biblical? docent today and lead you through this luscious garden of God that we have in this verse here and Point out as we go along the way a few if you will roses that are worthy of stopping to smell.

And I believe you'll enjoy the aroma because it's the aroma of Christ first of all. Notice that the first stop. I'm going to make in verse 20 is The stop at this significant event and the significant event that we're looking out looking at this morning is in that phrase seated him at his right hand the significant event of being seated.

Christ was seated. You know being seated Depending on who you are. Where you're seated and when all of this happens can be very significant. When the judge is seated at the bench. Would you say that's a lot different than when he's seated at the dinner table at home with the kids around?

Because he's seated at a special place of authority it makes a difference who you are and where you are seated. When all of the guests for this lovely event have been brought in and they have been seated.

Then and only then the mother of the bride is brought in and where is she seated? Does the usher look around and say do I see an empty seat anywhere? No, there's been a seat. And it's the best seat in the house that has been reserved for her and she is seated there.

And that's the signal boom we are ready to go. It makes a difference about the seating and so we are told in the scripture regarding Christ at least a dozen times that he has been seated and We're often told when he was seated and where he was seated at the right hand of the father.

When he had given himself as a sacrifice for sin. It makes a difference. And this is the great posture the great event that the scripture is telling us about is the seating of Christ. He has been seated now if you want to turn with me for just a second and then we're going to come right back to Ephesians 1 in Hebrews 10 and in verses 11 and 12.

Here the Apostle talks about the work of a priest and we're told it says in Hebrews 10 verse 11 and then verse 12 it says in every priest stands. Ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices which can never take away sins.

But this man and this is Christ after he had offered one sacrifice for sins. Forever sat down at the right hand of God. There's an intentional contrast there between standing a priest standing and another priest.

Sitting down you see that. The priest he was always standing. That's what his work demanded never sat down during if you will working hours. But here's a priest who comes along and now he's sat down. Why did he sit down?

Obviously because the work that that second higher greater priest had done was completed. It was finished and he could sit down. Did you ever tell your spouse after a rather long day? You know what? I haven't sat down all day.

Couldn't tell you how many times my wife and I have said that to haven't sat down all day. Implying what we've been working all day. But when we sit down I want to tell you we sit down and we rest from the work that we have been doing so Jesus Christ.

After he had given himself in that work of giving himself as a sacrifice for sin. He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. He was done with his work. He is seated. Is the aroma of Christ beginning to waft through the hearts of God's people.

Notice secondly in our verse. The second stop we're going to make in Ephesians 1 in verse 20 is we're going to note the guiding usher. Who was it that seated Christ? Now in verse 20 you have to Look here a little bit.

It says in which he worked who is the he. Well. You have to go way back up in the context clear back to first 15 wouldn't be a bad place. We're all the way back there about our faith in the Lord Jesus, and then it goes through all the context.

But the context is he worked in Christ that he is the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He worked in Christ when he the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ raised him from the dead and Seated him at his right hand.

The guiding usher the one seating Christ was the father. It would be like if you were to go to a very nice theater and a very if you will Fancy evening and you've paid a lot for the tickets. And there's a very nice a very gracious a very knowledgeable usher that meets you and says to you may may I take you to your seats and They take you down and they seat you where you've been assigned.

The father took the son and Ushered him to that seat and there our Lord sat because the father had seated him and What the father does no one can undo if the father has seated him no one can unseat him so Our Lord Jesus Christ he has been seated.

Secondly the father has seated him and notice thirdly now. Notice thirdly in the same passage. Notice as we look up now. Where did he seat him it says and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly?

Places. Look up. Sometimes people are told when they visit places of the world don't forget to look up. Because we're often with our eyes down down looking down, but now look up. Look up to the heavenlies to that celestial realm.

Where has Christ been seated seated him at the right hand of the father in? The heavenlies and then the verse right after Goes on and says far above all principality and power and might and so on and so forth.

My father had a pretty keen sense of humor and sometimes if he wanted to maybe tease a young child He would say something like I want you to go over there. And I want you to go as far as you can go in that corner right there.

I want you to go as far as you can go you understand. No, I want you to go as far as you can go and then go a little bit further. How far has Christ gone in? The words of my father as far as he could go and then a little bit further Into the heavenlies and notice verse 21 far above all Principalities.

Christ is not on a par with those principalities and powers. He is not as it were intermingled with them at the same level as If it was a level playing field he is far above them so that they must look up to him.

And he looks down to them. Not only that but he goes on to say not only is that high in that celestial realm. But he goes on to say these principalities and powers and so on and so forth not only in this age.

But in the age to come there is a seating of Christ that does not have a time expiration to it throughout all of the ages. He has been given that seat now the fourth thing about the seating of Christ and we have to Do this and we need to do this because our Christian posture being seated is totally dependent upon Jesus Christ.

And so we're looking at the basis upon which we take a posture of being seated. So we have the seating of Christ. We have the usher being the father who seated him there and we have the realm in which this took place in the heavenlies.

And then finally we have notice back again in verse 20. We have a prior action an antecedent action in verse 20 it says which the father worked in Christ when first of all he raised him from the dead and Seated him.

There's an order there the antecedent Action the prior activity was the raising him from the dead. Now Paul says I'm praying that the father will give you the knowledge of. What is the exceeding greatness of his power towards us what is the exceeding greatness of God's power towards us.

It's the raising of Christ. How much power does it take to raise the dead? That's how much power the father has towards us as well to demonstrate that exceeding greatness of that power. When he raised him from the dead.

You know the clamshell of Christ's work. The two clamshell the two parts of the clamshell that come together are the humiliation of Christ, which is the lower part and His exaltation which is the upper part and the two go together though.

They're very distinct as you can see in the clamshell of the work of Christ. He came down. He humbled himself. Taking the form of a man became obedient even to the point of death on the cross. That's his humiliation and The father was pleased with the work of the Son and he raised him from the dead.

He caused him to ascend and then he seated him at his right hand. That's the exaltation the one preceding the other and the Son. Having been raised then was exalted. He was ascended and seated and there we it's not the word that we find in the Bible.

But we understand there Christ is in what we call his session. That means to be seated in a place of authority. He is in his session in which he functions in a way of intercession. He's there always living to make intercession on our behalf and he's doing that from his seated Position his exalted position high in the heavenlies the father has accepted the work of the Son in his humiliation and then Transitioned him into his exaltation high in the heavenlies brothers and sisters.

Take a peek fly above the clouds in your soul and spirit in the Word of God and behold Christ seated at the right hand. Continuing always living to make intercession on your behalf. How could your soul not be taken up with the glories and the majesty and the wonder and the grace of him?

Who has loved you and given himself for you and there he is? Seated now. The message today is in our Christian posture and we begin that Christian posture with the seating of our Savior with the Lord Jesus Christ, but now notice you're in the book of Ephesians, right now we go into the second chapter and In the second chapter, which we also read up through verse 7 we notice down in verse 6.

Please look at verse 6 it says I'll pick up at verse 4. It says. But God who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us so on and so forth. Raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

The Christian Posture of Being Seated in Christ

We first of all had the seating of Christ now We have the seating of the Christian the seating of the believer. Where are you today? You're sitting in a pew physically, but where are you spiritually you are seated together?

With him the scripture says. You see the Christian follows his Christ. If I may say the tail always follows the head. Where the head goes the tail goes where Christ has gone we go to change the analogy the rails of the track where one runs the other runs right alongside and.

So we with Christ we follow him now. I want you to notice from this verse as We did with our first verse in 120. We're going to do the same thing in 2 and verse 6. What was the main event the significant event about Christ that we looked at in 120?

It was the fact that he was seated. What does 2 6 tell us. It says that we are seated. We are seated as well. He has made us to sit. Now notice as you read through the context there. It says in verse 5 and when we were dead in trespasses and sins he made us alive together with Christ.

By grace you've been saved and Raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus we We are seated of. How many Christians is it true? That they are seated that they have this Christian posture as Paul gives it to us in the passage are some believers Seated and others are looking for a seat.

Does God play musical chairs. With his children and say now we've got a lot of chairs out here. And I'll play the music and when it stops be sure to find one. There'll be one who will be without. How many of God's people are seated?

Well the answer is obvious isn't it. We all are we've all been seated. I Know in life. There is such a thing as the haves and the have-nots. But in the realm of faith in Christ there are no have-nots.

We all have that seat the best seat in the house and Here Paul brings that up. You've been a believer. Just looking out I'm going to guess that I'm probably the the one who has been a believer the longest.

I'm probably the oldest person in the building. I've been a believer for decades. I have a seat in Christ. But you've only been a believer for ten minutes. You have the same seat in Christ. I've read the Bible through like probably a lot of you if not most of you.

Multiple times the entire Bible every word of it multiple times. But you have a hard time figuring out. Is Hezekiah a book in the Bible. I'm having a little difficulty finding Genesis. But if you're in Christ You occupy the same seat that I occupy.

He seated us. We are seated all of us in Him. The same seat that Christ has is the same seat that you have notice. Secondly. Not only that significant event of being seated we both share but notice also the usher.

The same usher was at work in Him who is at work was at work with us and Raised us up. Who did all of this. Who raised us up and who made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ. We'll go back in the context and you find it's the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The same usher that seated him is the same one who seated us in His Son. He is the one who made it happen. And if God is for us and giving us this seat then who can be against us and if the Father has seated us who can Come along and unseat us.

No one of course is the answer it would be impossible and So with Christ we have that same seat being put there by the same Holy usher and notice. Thirdly our third event was in what realm that all of this take place.

I said look up remember into the heavenlies notice What is verse 6 say and he made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus? It's not a different place. It's not Approximately Located where Jesus is seated.

It's exactly the same place in the heavenlies. It's the plural word for heaven in the heavens that celestial realm the same place even though We are now here on earth our true spiritual interest is in the heavenlies where Christ has been seated and where you and I are seated as well and Then fourthly and finally I asked the question remember was there any prior action that Needed to take place before Christ could be seated and that was that the Father raised him up notice in verse 6 and Raised us up together and Made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus the same antecedent the same prior activity that was true of Christ Was true of you was true of me in order that we might be seated Raised up and made alive if you will now.

I want you to take in your mind's eye. I Want you to take and over this last one here of that prior activity there in verse 6 and raised us up. And then he seated us and so forth. I want you to take your mental cursor and pass it over that and click on it so it'll so we can zoom in on it okay.

And I'm going to give you a little close-up a little zoom in of the beauty of the symmetry of What Paul says? About our being seated in Christ. Doesn't matter if you read Greek or not anybody know Greek.

Some Greek wonderful. Okay, doesn't matter if you know it or not then make a bit of difference. You'll still understand Christ being seated 120. Christian being seated. 2 verses 5 and 6. Here are the words that Paul uses to speak of Christ to be made alive.

To be raised up to be seated. Okay, boom boom boom those are the words now your eye should tell you even though you don't know Greek. These are the words that Paul uses for the Christian. Make alive raise up and see and as you'll compare this word with this word.

What do you see? Same word. Raised up this word compared to this word. Same word. This one with this one to be seated to be seated same word exactly the same more beautiful symmetry there except I Was a little bit misleading to you because that's not exactly what Paul said.

Paul came along and with the Christian he took the same word. But he modified it ever so slightly by putting a little preposition on the front of it the preposition soon which means with. Together with.

So we are made alive. But it is being made alive together with Christ. See the beauty of this. He comes along to the second and says Christ was raised up. The Christian we have been raised up, but well yes.

But he puts that very same preposition now spelled a little differently because of the of the vowels and so forth there. It's the very same word. Puts the very same preposition on the next word and says we are raised up together with and.

Then of course guess what he does on the last one you already know right? To be seated. It's not just to be seated. But it's to be seated together with and those little prepositions loop the Christian back around to Christ and Bind us together there is no being made alive apart from Christ.

There is no being raised up apart from Christ. There is no seeking apart from Christ. And it's the glory of Christ in all of this and I think the Holy Spirit as far as I'm concerned has just shown us the beauty and the glory and the grace and the symmetry of What our Lord Jesus Christ is to all of his people we are together with him.

His life is our life his seating is our Seating and the Holy Spirit has done us a wonderful blessing By showing us these truths together with impossible apart from him, but with him all things are true.

Our Christian posture being seated together with Christ. Now I told you earlier in The message this morning that of the four Christian postures that I mentioned being seated walking standing and running.

That the first one the being seated is never used as a command in the scripture Never used as an imperative. We're never told sit in Christ. It never does that and The reason it doesn't do that is because being seated in Christ is is a bestowed grace.

It's bestowed. It's given. If you are in Christ you are seated in Christ. When you believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ you are seated in Christ. It comes as a package deal, and we're never told have a seat.

Because you already have it. Now that's really good news and This is where it all begins for us if you will when we are seated together with him because real soul saving life transforming heaven terminating grace Doesn't begin with go do something.

But it begins with it's already done. And what has been done is Christ has given himself as that sacrifice in that Humiliation and therefore the father accepted that he raised him. He exalted him and he seated him.

It begins with done What Christ has already done and we in him occupy The very same position that our Lord and Savior occupies and That position that posture Gives you the best seat in the house. The best seat in the house of God Is sitting with Christ.

Do you believe that? Do you believe the Word of God the sitting of the Christian? Of course, it's intangible to us. It's invisible to us. But it's unchangeable. It's what he's already done. There are no improvements.

There's no way to make it better. There's no way to make it stronger. It is what it is and What it is is the grace of God to needy sinners. To sit in the completed and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ and to be embedded in that wonderful powerful overcoming victorious grace From all of eternity from the eternity past to eternity future.

To be in Christ Establish in him. It doesn't get any better than that. You know people come people go things come things go but Christ remains the same forever and We in relationship to him, you know When we appreciate this grace of what it is to have the Christian posture of being seated.

I Think that we can't help but appreciate and be amazed at this because There are lots of different nuances that we could look at in facets and aspects. But one of the primary ones about being seated in Christ is that that shows a great contrast that grace has brought upon our lives.

Because the scripture says you know one time we were sitting we've always been sitting as a matter of fact everyone has a seat. The only problem is before Christ we were sitting in darkness but now we are in the light and The contrast is as great as the difference between light and darkness between life and death.

Because we've been made alive in him as well and That's the thing to be appreciated. That's the thing to be if you will wondering about and marveling at and being thankful to the Lord. That we no longer sit in darkness.

But we are brought into the light a marvelous thing one final thing as I close this morning and That is if you'll turn for our last passage to the book of Colossians chapter 3 Paul shows us that we should adopt if you will we should take up This Christian posture of being seated as the mindset for our life.

Now notice he doesn't say have a seat, but he's saying make use of the seat that you have in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 1. If then you were raised up with Christ. Seek those things which are above where Christ is.

Sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above. Not on things on the earth. For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. So he says to us in so many words. Now the fact that you are seated.

You have been seated with Christ who himself now is sitting at the right hand of God you take that as your mindset as well and Seek the greater things not the things that are here on earth. We all need food and clothing and shelter.

But set your mind on the things that are above. Because you've been seated in the heavenlies. You know sometimes pastors, I'm sure brother Josh has told this to you before. Be what you are. You know the Christian message in Christ be what you are.

Well, I would add to that and we say based on the Word of God. Not only do we tell God's people be what you are what you are in Christ. But we also say to God's people go where you've gone and Where have you gone?

You've gone into the heavenlies. Because you've been seated with Christ in the heavenly places. You have in him the best seat in the house because It's the only seat in the house. It's the seat of Christ and You sit together with him in the heavenly places.

I'm hoping and praying brothers and sisters that will give you in your walk a Faith day in and day out that mindset. That spiritual strength of heart and soul and faith in mind. To be true and faithful to him.

Who's given that grace to you? May he be honored in it. Let's pray together. Father thank you for your true and faithful word. Thank you Lord for the light the truth the wisdom the knowledge That has come from above and that you have revealed to us all that you want us to believe all that you want us to know and to understand and and To do you've made known and Lord made today your word bear its fruit in Every life and every soul who has heard may it be received in faith in us and May your son Jesus Christ be glorified now and through all the days of our life.