Sit, Walk, Stand - Part 5 — Gareth Evans

The Greatness of Jesus and Our Identity in Him

Greatness of Jesus. And he speaks about what we are in him. We have been chosen in him. We have been blessed in him, verse 3. Chosen in him, verse 4. We are made to the praise of his glory. In him we have redemption, verse 7.

God has purposed in him, verse 10 of chapter 1, which is probably the key verse of the entire book, with a view to the administration suitable to the fullness of time. In other words, to the end days and when everything will be culminated, when God is going to bring all things together and to administer them correctly, that administration is being summed up in Christ.

In him we have obtained an inheritance. In him we have been sealed by the Spirit of God. In him, in him, in him. And then he comes to that wonderful prayer that I talked about last night. I pray that the eyes of your heart might be opened, that you would understand what it is, the hope of his calling, the riches of his glory in us and the surpassing power he has with us.

Jesus Raised and Exalted Above Every Power

And then he goes on and expresses these words. That power God has already revealed in that he has taken Jesus and raised him from the dead. Listen to these wonderful words. Far above all principalities and powers and dominions.

He is speaking of the forces of darkness. In chapter 6 he uses the same words as the speaker, but I woe for being against these. Not only those of darkness, but those of light too. These are the ranks, if you like, of the angelic beings.

Far above them and every name that is named, not only now, but also in the age to come. And God has put all things under his feet. Has done it. Listen to the tense please. Jesus is not going to come to this world to be made king.

He is king already. Understand that please. He has already defeated Satan. He is already exalted. He is already at the Father's right hand. Far above all principalities and powers. Can you imagine Paul getting excited?

I'm getting excited. Come on. Above every name. He has put all things under his feet. He has given him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him. You are the fullness of him who fills all things.

Raised and Seated With Christ

And you, Gareth, and this is what I learned from this book, and Gareth grasped me, took hold of my soul. And you, brothers and sisters in Capernaum in January 1995, and you who were dead in your trespasses and sins, and he goes on and expresses that.

Verse 6, he has raised us up. He has made us alive. Verse 5, by grace you've been saved. He has raised us up with him and seated us with him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. You? Me? Yes. You don't seem very excited.

Are you excited? Have I bust this thing? Are you excited about being raised up in Christ Jesus? One of you. I think I probably hold this is better. You have been made alive. You have been raised up. You have been seated with him in heavenly places.

God has already done it. This is not something he's going to do. He has done it. And the tragedy is that we don't understand that. If we do understand it, we don't display that we live in that truth. In chapter 6, I read this, that there is a warfare going on, not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers.

Spiritual Warfare From a Position of Victory

When I caught hold of the reality that this tense in the scriptures is a past tense, when I grasped hold of the reality that I am now in 1995 as I was in 1994 as I was in 1964, seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

That is a truth. That is a reality. Now Satan will tell me otherwise. Satan will tell me that there are times when Jesus leaves me alone in the wilderness. I need to know which I'm going to believe, Satan, the author of lies or the word of God.

And when I understand by the spirit of God and by this revelation we spoke about yesterday that I am seated in Christ Jesus, I get excited brothers and sisters. And one of two of you to do, obviously.

Because among the things it teaches me is this, that if I'm in the battle, my enemy has already been crushed beneath his feet. And the only way he can get at me, in fact the scripture teaches me the weapons he uses.

One of them is he roars at me like a lion. Now a lion is a cat. I've never seen a cat trying to catch a mouse by meowing at it. They are very stealthy and quiet and secretive. But Satan, the only way he can get at you and me is by roaring, the result being that he brings us into fear.

He's got his teeth pulled, he cannot destroy you. He has no power over you except the power that you give him. You can give him the right to access into your life. And the other weapon he uses, he throws fiery darts.

And he has to throw them because he's down there and I'm seated in heavenly places. Now I'm not talking airy-fairy pie in the sky, nice to believe, isn't it good in your struggle, just try to remember this.

I'm talking about reality, brothers and sisters. And I learned that when I grasped that book, all he was doing was show me what the Bible said. And if I can leave you with nothing more than this psalm, two months old in the Lord, brother you're seated in Christ Jesus, that's your security.

He's your security. And Satan is beneath his feet and has no power over you and me except so much as we give him power. If we take away the shield of faith, his fiery darts are going to get through. But I want you to say to yourself soul, it is well because I'm seated in Christ Jesus, who has been exalted far above all principalities and powers.

Walking Worthy of the Christian Calling

That's what it means to be in Christ. Once you grasp that, once my young people in the youth would grasp that, then I could go on. Then I could say to them, okay, the next thing is that you need to walk.

Chapter 4, therefore I entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. What is a worthy walk? Well, with all humility, gentleness, and patience, showing forbearance to one another, in love.

The Nature of Genuine Humility

What does it mean to be humble? Do you know a humble man? Any of you know any humble men or women? Do you know one of the things about humility is this, it's very similar to pride. Oh no, it's not inverted pride.

Don't misunderstand me. There's nobody as humble as I am. Inverted pride. One of the characteristics of humility is that the person who is humble, just like the person who is proud, does not know it. The proud man boasts, is totally unaware of his pride being revealed.

The humble man is equally unaware of his humility. It's not something you can create and say, I'm going to be more humble.