Reserved - The Reigning Society

All right, if you have your Bibles, turn over to Ephesians

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

I had someone say, wow, pastor, oh, you look so young with a

hat. I said, I guess I should wear it

more often. It's amazing how many people

sometimes do not recognize me when I'm wearing my hat.

So and I wear many hats. They're just invisible.

Anyway, turn over to Ephesians chapter 1.

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

We're going to talk about reserve tonight and I want to

start this thought process. I don't know how long we'll go

with it. The Lord really was speaking to

me and says, listen, I they need to know there's a reigning

society again. How many believe the Lord's

coming back? How many believe the Lord could

come back in your lifetime? Yeah.

I mean, it's, it's hot. I mean, you should believe for

that, right? You should believe 'cause

somebody's going to be the catching away generation.

Might as well be us with all this going on.

Might as well be us. But you understand the catching

away society is a society or a group of people who reign in

Christ. And again, Christ is not just

some phrase. Again, this is a term that that

churches use all the time. And again, sometimes if we don't

take time to actually define what that means, then it becomes

a clicheish type statement. I know Pastor Roddy and I were

having a conversation. He says, you know.

I'm around people all the time and I'm just have this

impression. They really don't know what

they're saying when they say I'm in Christ because they don't

know what it means to be in Christ or what Christ actually

is, which is the anointing, the anointed one in his anointing,

which is in relationship to his kingship.

And so when we say we're in Christ, we're really saying

we're in the royal family, right?

We're in his anointing that is a bestowed on him because he's

king, because again in in the Bible and Luke, he said the

spirit of the Lord is upon me for he has anointed me right,

and that was his kingship. That's why when the father said

this is my beloved son. In essence, he's communicating

to the world. The King is here.

That's why Jesus's message was repent, for the Kingdom of

heaven is at hand. The King of the Kingdom is in

your midst. Come on, how do you believe

that? Amen.

Hallelujah, I want some espresso hallelujahs tonight, OK, Amen.

I'm I might have to roam a little bit anyway, so the Lord

spoke to me and says, I want you to break down churches from the

Bible because these letters that Paul wrote to the churches was

to. Communicate what a reigning

society looks like because again, you and I do not get to

pick what it looks like. The Lord reveals what his

society or believers or sons or citizens look like.

I do not base anything on someone's experience or just

their words. I always go back to the Word

because that is the standard that is God speaking to us.

So when Paul wrote to the churches, by all rights he's

communicating, hey, this is the lifestyle of the Kingdom.

This is how you're living now. And so we're going to jump right

into Ephesians and I'll probably jump into some other of the

churches as we kind of go on. But I want to take the book of

Ephesus. And though I will not go line

upon line, precept upon precept because I'm not A5 fold minister

teacher, all right, but I am going to go through the first

couple of chapters and bring out some truths concerning it.

Because there is things for this reigning society that are

reserved for us, right? Because the reigning society by

all rights is the reigning church.

Are you? Hearing me.

Now you can be born again and live defeated, but that's never

God's intent and the only reason why a born again believer would

live defeat is because they do not renew their mind to the word

they want to keep. Their thinking, which is

abnormal actually behavior in the Kingdom of God.

All right, so in Ephesians chapter 1, we'll start here in

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

verse one through 7. I'm reading out the legacy

standard Bible, which is just another translation of the new

American standard. They're they're just trying to

be even more accurate to the original context of Scripture.

But Paul greets the church. He says Paul, an apostle.

Of Christ Jesus. Now I'm going to just stop right

there. Paul had no problem telling the

church the gift. He is in the body and he's not

bragging. He's letting them know this is

my gift to you. That's what he did.

So again, if you find yourself struggling with people's gifts

in the fivefold ministry, well, then you would have a hard time

reading anything Paul writes, 'cause Paul's letting them know.

Paul, an apostle of who? Christ Jesus.

He puts Christ's title, his kingship, in front of his name.

Then he goes on, he says, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, what

by the will of God to the Saints who are at Ephesus and who are

faithful in Christ Jesus. So Paul has communicated we're a

church, I am in the five fold ministry as an apostle and you

are Saints within that body. I just my wife heard a minister

recently make this statement and she says what do you think?

About that I said, man, that is really good, she said to her and

but I know the Kingdom she. Said you could liken the five

fold ministry to the executive branch of government because

they are specifically identified offices by the head of the

church or the one who sits on the throne.

And they have been given a responsibility and an anointing

to function that Saints do not because are all apostles, are

all prophets, are all evangelists, are all teachers

are all which one did I leave out pastors?

Obviously not. Most people try to leave those

pastors out anyway. With that being said, they're

they're that doesn't make them better than Saints.

It just means they have an assignment.

That's what that means. So Paul starts out, this is

letter to the church. He said, now listen, I'm an

apostle of Christ Jesus, not because man made this, not

because I like that the you know this saying and I want you to

identify no, God did this and he did this to you because you are

the one that God gave me oversight.

And you know what's great about these Saints is that they are

faithful to Christ. Verse 2, it goes on to say grace

to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus

Christ. So again, he's identifying

within the whole church. Guess what, we have grace.

And if you're functioning in the grace that God has in your life,

you're going to have peace. You'll have peace even to miss a

conflict. Why?

Because you will rely on the grace.

That's why God told Paul in a conflict one time, he said,

listen, son, my grace is. Sufficient for you?

So you understand the grace in your life is sufficient for you

that you can walk in perpetual peace no matter what's going on.

And Pauls reminding the Church of this, that the grace they

have and the peace they have not comes from their personal study

or their own efforts, but it comes from God him self.

And that good news? So then we get into verse three.

He said blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly

places where in Christ, in Christ.

So all the spiritual blessings are located in the home country

in Christ and we're blessed people.

Now whether you feel it or not is irrelevant.

You have an inheritance and in Christ you can access it in the

King or functioning within the boundaries.

We could say the word of the king.

Let's put it that way. That'd be the best way to say

it. When we function in the Kingdom

based upon the word of the King, then all of the spiritual

blessings that are are for us are made accessible to us.

And again, it's not our personal effort that did it away from

God. It's us in Him and acting on His

word that is releasing those faith is causing it to come to

pass. Verse 4.

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the

world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love.

I'm going to break this verse down here in a little bit by

predestinating us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to

Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will verse. 6 As

to the praise. Of the glory of his grace which

he graciously bestowed on us in the beloved verse 7.

And then we'll come back and talk a little bit in him.

We have redemption through his blood and forgiveness of our

transgression, according. To the riches of his grace.

So when we jump back into verse 4, you understand every

spiritual blessing that is in the heavenly realm in Christ

Jesus God, just as God the Father chose us in Jesus before

the what foundations of the world, He chose who us.

Now I want to explain this a little bit because we need to

understand God's perspective of what He's saying to Paul here

because Him choosing us is not based upon who we are today.

What does it mean when He said He chose us in Him before the

foundations of the world? In essence, how did God see man

in the beginning? This is what He's saying.

Many times we hear this man, He chose me.

He knew what I was going to be like.

He knew the mess I will be in. He knew.

And yes, He did know that, but He's not looking you in that

way. He's looking at you in an

original intent. So when he says just as he chose

us, what was he? He chose us, what we call humans

or mankind. He chose us.

How in him? Well, what did how did Jesus

function on the planet? Jesus function as a former

individual. OK, Jesus is considered the last

Adam. Are you hearing me?

Every miracle Jesus performed was in the dominion.

Adam lost. Adam was given the same mandate

that Jesus has. In this context.

Just obey. All this is yours.

Just obey. We have a relationship through

our your obedience. You're in my nature.

Come on, let's look at it. You I know you know where it's

at, but let's read it again in Genesis 126 to 27 says then God

said, let us make man in our image according to our likeness

so that they may have dominion over the fish of the sea, over

the birds of the sky, over the cattle, over all the earth and

every every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

Yes, Lord, I'll say that. And he created man in his own

image, in the image of God. He created him male and female.

He created them. The Lord just said to me, he

said, you know how many people do not believe that verse?

And the reason they don't believe that verse is because

they do not take dominion over all these things in their life

as a new believer. And it doesn't matter how many

times I read it, if you let anything have dominion over you,

you do not get Genesis 126. If you let your emotions have

dominion over you, if you let your feelings have emotion

dominion over you, let plants have dominion over you, you let

you know things. Rule you things on the outside.

Stress as if all kinds of things that are out there, If they are

ruling you, you do not yet have the revelation.

And as many times as we read this, we'll say Hallelujah, and

then all of a sudden something will come and we'll let it

dominate us. We'll let it rule us.

And how do we know real 'cause we follow it.

You follow it. So here God in the book of

beginning says, let us make man in our image and his likeness,

which tells us even before this event, before the foundations of

the world. OK, thank you, Jesus.

This is what I love about, I have to admit.

This is what I love about having a Bible app that has all the,

you know, concordances in it because you can just go straight

there, OK? Before the foundations of the

world, OK. God chose us in Him.

This word world is the same world used in John 316 for God

so loved the world. It's the word cosmos.

OK, we we it's not planet as much as it is systems.

So before the 1st systems of the man, which man had dominion over

the systems of the world before they get into play, God has

already chose him, chose us in Christ.

So before man has the ability to start functioning in his

dominion, the Lord has already chosen him in Christ, which

tells us this, and I'm going to read from a particular scholar.

He said it this way. He says the eternity of the plan

suggests another thought in verse 4.

It is this salvation is an original thought and resolution

it and resolution it is no novel expedient struck out of the in

the fruit. Futility of divine ingenuity.

But God's first purpose in regard to man had failed through

man's apostasy, meaning it is no.

Afterthought, but the embodiment of a design which, foreseeing

our ruin, had made preparation of it.

Meaning, even though, and we say this all, where would Adam be if

he had never eaten the fruit? However, because God is all

knowing, He already knows. Even though I've made man and I

in my image and according to my likeness, and if he will just in

a sinless state, no sin, His body is glorified.

His mind has never been polluted by one wrong thought, never

acted on it, never had any of those things.

His spirit man is directly connected to God.

God can come from his realm of heaven into the earth.

There is no issue for them to commune.

He does not run from him, He does not hide from him.

He is in a perfect state, yet God knew and he was prepared

before he communicated, which tells us this.

When God said this is my design for man, he already had the plan

of salvation. Now why?

Because God is obligated to fulfill his own word.

He's he's obligated So God doesn't just say things and then

like, oh, he ate the fruit. Now what am I going to do?

Listen, before God even speaks, he's already calculated

everything that he will have to do to fulfill everything he

says, especially when it came to man.

Because at this point, as far as beings are concerned, and when I

say beings, I'm talking spirit beings, man's redeemable, the

angelic host that fell are not. Don't pray for Lucifer.

He'll never get saved. He can't and he has no desire

and none of the ones that fell with him.

So all the demonic spirits don't try.

Don't have compassion for them. There is no such thing as

compassion for them. And if you felt like I want to

have compassion, I'll understand why God.

Then you're trying to make yourself a God, and you're

already off because you're not righteous, holy, just like God

who always fulfills his word. So when God says I'm going to

speak man, he already knows it will cost me my son.

So the minute I say let us make man in our images according to

our likeness, and let them have dominion, I know that my first

son Adam is going to disobey my word, which in Acts I must keep

that word. If you eat the fruit, you die,

because the wages of sin is so it has to be fulfilled.

And the Lord says, however, I want man to have dominion.

So I'll put my son in a suit as a man, because my first son will

lose the dominion as a man. I'll come in the earth with my

son as a man. He'll get the dominion back and

pay the price for everything my word requires to satisfy death.

That way man can come off of eternal death and use the road

of mercy. To connect him back to the

original thought of man and that is to have dominion.

Hallelujah, come on, Hallelujah that God.

God is so thought out that he already took into account every

sin that ever would be committed and the price required, which is

eternal separation. And he says I'll pay every price

with my son. So before the foundations of the

world, before this system starts rolling, God says man's pathway

will be back through Christ. And he chose us.

Who did he choose? He chose humans.

You are a human, so you qualify. Now we like to make it personal.

He chose me and He did choose you personally.

That's true. I understand that because He

chooses all of us. However, not all of us choose.

So again, when you make it personal, He.

May know because he's all knowing that you are going to

accept him, but there are those who do not and he made provision

for them. And he paid the price for all

their wrongdoings. Doesn't matter what they've

done, He's paid the price. All they have to do by faith is

accept Jesus Christ as their Lord.

Hallelujah. So we know when Adam eats the

fruit. Genesis 315 says this.

And I'll put enmity between you and the woman, in between your

seed and her seed. She shall bruise you on the

head, and you shall bruise him on the hill.

So it says before the foundations of the world in

Ephesians 1/4, that He chose us in him.

Before the foundation of that we would be holy.

Come on. Put verse 4 back up there real

quick if you would. Ephesians 1/4 He chose us in Him

before the foundation of the world.

Now what condition does he want to find us in, since He chose us

in Christ? This is what a reigning society

or the reigning church looks like, that we would be what?

We'd be holy. Now why would we be holy?

Because He is holy? Because again, before you came,

before the systems function for Adam fell, he already had the

plan of redemption through Jesus and that the add the actions,

behavior, lifestyle, and nature that the first Adam had and

lost, Jesus restored for us so that we could be back in that

original nature. Now we're waiting on the

glorified body, but it's coming. And the Spirit that we couldn't

have changed, Christ changed for us and put it in US.

And in the process we renew our mind because in Him we're going

to be holy. We're going to be blameless

before him in love. Because what does love do?

Love keeps the word I said. Love keeps the word.

Jesus said if you love me, you keep my word right?

Well, you know I love you, but you don't do anything I say OK,

let's go on then verse 5. He said he predestined us to the

adoption of sons. Now notice look what this says.

Look how this works. It says by predestined us.

And this is not predestination in the context that he that he

is picking certain ones and others he's not picking no, we

all have free will. The predestination is let us

make man in our image according to our likeness and let them

have dominion and everyone that has ever been born has the right

to that place and he's predestined us to do that.

However, if you choose not to, then you won't live it but his

destiny. So predestination or predestiny

is what God's idea or his destiny for you?

The question and he's already picked it for you before you

even know it. But if you don't accept it, then

you can do your own destiny. So he predestined us to the

adoption of a son through Christ Jesus to himself according to

the good pleasure of whose will again, and we're going to see

here throughout this particular, you know, church example is that

the things that are happening are for his glory

for his glory because it's about him.

Why did God go after you? Well, because he loves me so

much. God went after you because he

predestined you would be in a state and that is loving you

because it's keeping his own word towards you.

But what he's doing is he is making a pathway so that you can

know him. But we, if we don't watch out,

we're making the gospel where it's about US and we talk and

sell this man God, he'll come after you.

He loves you. It's all about you.

He'll, he'll, he'll do this. He'll come here.

He'll leave the 99. It's about you.

It's coming after you. It's about, you know, it's about

I'm doing my work so you can come to me.

It's about you being there to come back to me because it's

about me. Your your new birth experience

glorifies God because it shows that what you couldn't do, He

did. You're not the object.

He's the object and He is making the pathway so that you can

discover Him. It's about him.

And then when I'm like, wow, look what you did so I could get

to know you because I'm nothing compared to you.

You are the center of it, all right, Right, right.

So again, he did all this according to the good pleasure

of his will, not my will. I mean, he's doing this to

fulfill His will so that he's glorified, so that he's honored,

so that he's lifted up. He goes on to say the good

pleasure of His will to the praise of the glory of whose

grace It's His grace which He graciously bestowed on us in the

Beloved. In Him we have redemption,

through whose blood, his blood and the forgiveness of our

transgression according to the riches of whose grace His The

object here of, of salvation is not us, it's Him.

Because again, if none of us of our own free will except the

death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and the forgiveness of

the blood of Christ, God is still going to do it.

To fulfill his word, because God is not a man that he should lie,

He should lie. And when Adam ate the fruit, God

enacted amendments to be able to help us.

Find him to have a relationship with him.

He made provisions so that we could come off this place of

death that has to be satisfied and he.

Gave us the way, man, he's awesome.

So this enmity that took place between man and God, because

Satan now has the dominion Adam lost.

And he says I'll have put enmity between you and him, although my

relationship with man is cut off, but I'm going to bring a

seed. And that says he's going to tear

down that which stops them from being with me because he's going

to crush your head. In essence, he's going to take

the dominion back. So turn over real quick the

Ephesians Ephesians chapter 2 again talking to the church

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

starting in verse 13. We'll read the 19.

Let's just read it and then we'll come back and give some

comments. He said, But now in Christ you

were formerly far off. Have been brought near by what

the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who

made both groups one, and broke down the dividing wall of the

partition by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, the law of

commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Him He

might create the two into one new man, making peace, and might

reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having

in Himself put to death the enmity.

And He came and preached the good news to of peace to you who

were far off, and peace of those who were near.

For through Him we have our access in one spirit to the

Father. So then you are no longer

strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the

Saints who are God's household. Now I'm going to read a

particular illustration that allows us to understand God's

use of the law, God's use of the law.

Because when we read the law, understanding Genesis 3 from

only the fall of man perspective, then you understand

we say a lot about the law. In fact, in studying this one

commentary said it this way, Jesus fulfilled the law.

And what's abolished in one sense or removed is the

ceremonial laws. Now, why did they say that?

Because Roman tells us that whether you're under the law or

not, there's already a consciousness of doing right and

wrong. Romans clearly states that that

more morality is there. What made the Jews despised is

because the ceremonial laws is was the blood covering the

transgression so that they can maintain holiness and be

blessed. And no other type of religion or

God participate had the same effect.

Now that doesn't mean blood wasn't being used, I'm not

saying but it had no power because their gods are not real.

So there's a ceremonial of the lamb, the goats, the different

things that Jesus fulfilled, all that.

That's why we don't have to do sacrifices.

Jesus is the sacrifice once and for all.

However, the law of morality has not ended in the new and better

coveted Thou shalt not still still applies.

It still applies. Thou shalt not commit murder

still applies. Thou shalt not commit adultery

still applies. Do not cover your neck.

That's still a plot. Those moral laws are there.

Here's the difference. In your flesh you could not

acquire righteousness. In essence, you tried to do the

law by a letter, meaning in the flesh, but the law had to be

fulfilled or is fulfilled by the Spirit and Jesus by the Spirit

fulfills so that you can now live a moral life because you

are a new creature in Christ, but the intent of the law.

Is summed up very well in this illustration.

It says the wife of a drunkard once found her husband in a

filthy condition, with torn clothes, matted hair, bruised

face, asleep in the kitchen. Having come home from a drunken

revel. She sent for a photographer.

So obviously this is an old illustration that they didn't

have their own camera. She sent for a photographer.

And had a portrait of him taken in.

All his wretched appearance, and placed it on the mantle beside

another portrait taken at the time of his marriage, which

showed him handsome well. Dressed as he had been in other

days. When he became sober, he saw the

two pictures and awakened to a consciousness of his condition,

which from which he arose to a better life.

Now the office of the law is not to save man, but to show them

their true state as compared with the divine standard.

It's like a glass in which one soothe what manner of man he is.

In essence, the law came so that man realized the condition he is

in is not Genesis 126. The law came to reveal to us we

are a wretched thing. How in the world can God have a

requirement of morality and righteousness?

When I'm confronted, I see what I was in a previous.

Time. Oh, you all know what here.

Man in a previous time, in the beginning when God made the

heavens and the earth, he was without spot or wrinkle, holy,

blameless, righteous, full of faith, no issues of sin.

That was his original state. But then he falls.

And in his falling, man does what seems right.

Yet he's having issues in his moral mind, in his mind because

of the temptations, and he begins to move.

He does what seems right to him, but what seems right only leads

to what? So much so that God regrets that

He made man because left to themselves in this state, so he

destroys the planet starts with another family in covenant

through a promise which is just re conversing Genesis 3 or

Ephesians chapter 1. I chose you before the

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

foundations of the world in him. This is what you look like.

So when the law came, the law says this is what this was a

standard. And when you look at yourself,

you're like, I don't meet that as Paul said, the things I tried

to do, right, I did. And he said, who is this

wretched man that will save my life?

But thanks be to God. Come on, thanks be to God.

Come on, thanks be to God that in Christ Jesus we've been made

to triumph. In essence, the minute you make

Christ your Lord, then you get set back.

In the original state, the law was not to condemn you, it was

to show you your state that you would aspire to be different and

say I want to be this. I want to be what I originally

was. And in it ourselves we can't.

But in Christ we are. Hallelujah.

And so Paul was writing to the church saying, listen guys, it

when when you came into the Kingdom of God by the blood

through the forgiveness of sin, you now have reserved.

Seating. Go back to Ephesians one, he's

telling them, listen man, we've been chosen through God's grace

and what he's done. He has set us in a place and

then he concludes that chapter by saying that the God of our

Lord Jesus Christ, verse 17, the Father of glory, he may give to

you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge

of him so that you so that you, the eyes of your heart might be

enlightened. You will know what is the hope

of His calling, what are the riches of the of the glory of

His inheritance in the Saints? What is the surpassing greatness

of His power towards us who believe according to the working

of of of the might of His strength, which He worked in

Christ by raising him from the dead and seated, seating Him at

His right hand in heavenly places far above all rule and

authority and power and dominion and every name that is named,

not only in this age, but also in the age to come.

What is he saying? Hey, now that you're born again,

God give you wisdom so you can see yourself back in the garden.

You've been he, He was raised up.

If you look, Jesus has been given the name above every name.

He's above every principality and powers the condition of man

in the state he was in. Christ has paid the price and

has given you a pathway. I fulfill my word.

I have honored it. You can come and be back in my

original intent because I always originally thought I'll save you

before I say something because I'm going to get you there if

you want it. And if you get there, you're

going to be Jesus has raised up all this, then it says verse 22,

but he put all things in subjection under his feet and

gave him his head over all things.

Where to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him

who fills on all and again, Ephesians are the Bibles written

in chapters and verse. But really we should just keep

reading. Paul is saying, listen, I'm

praying that you get this revelation that because Christ

has paid the price, because Christ came from a place of

dominion, stayed in a place of dominion in the flesh, conquered

death, hell on the grave, and destroyed the works of the

devil. The works of the devil is

disobedience to the crown, the king, and the word of God.

He's destroyed those works. They do not have to be a part of

your life. You have dominion whether you

feel it or not. It's yours.

You just have to access it by faith, through the grace of God,

by the grace of God that's in your life because Christ made

you this way. And so you can pull on that so

that you reign in life, you reign in life.

Come on, you reign in life because He did it with His

power, with His might, with His strength, with His insight, with

His obligation to fulfill his word concerning you.

But again, he says all these things, that Christ is far above

all principalities and powers and dominions in this age, but

also in the one to come. And then he says, oh, by the

way, he's extended that to his body.

Come on, He's the head, you're the household of God.

He's extended it. So then Paul keeps going because

again we get chapter and verse, but Paul keeps going.

So you go to the next chapter, verse 1.

He says now you were dead in your in your transgression and

sin, which you here it is. You formerly walked according to

the course of this world, according to the ruler of the

power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons

of Come on. You don't want to be equated

with the sons of disobedience. You do not want to be associated

as a son of disobedience. And a son of disobedience is

simply someone who will wants to do their own will despite

knowing God's will. So again, he said Jesus has got

all this power, all this authority has been raised up.

I'm praying that you get this knowledge of all that actually

is extended actually towards us because what is actually he has

obtained and it goes towards the church.

So I want to remind you, you were dead.

You used to in your former say former, former.

Come on, say former, not today. Don't resurrect a former.

Come on, Because here's the thing, you cannot resurrect an

old life. You die back in that life.

Dead things are dead. If you're resurrected, it's in

life. If you want to go back to

former, you're choosing to die. You're willfully going back to

death. So you formally walked.

He's like, listen, I want to remind you did these things and

it was according to the course of the power of the air of the

spirits that are now working in the sunset, which tells me this,

your disobedience because you're being influenced.

Right, right. Come on.

This is the craziest thing. We do have a free will, but our

free will is not without constant influence.

No decision you're making is independent thought.

Either your flesh is talking and the flesh is not alive.

Are either one of these spirits are talking and they're pretty

good seducers, or the Lord's talking.

And if you're alive to Christ, you should be able to discern

your flesh's voice, the wrong spirit's voice, or the word of

God. And God did the the voice of the

Spirit of God and God did a extra.

He said, not only will I speak to you by the Spirit, but I'll

leave my word so you'll know it's actually me.

Hallelujah. So listen, I don't care what

you're doing. It's not an independent thought.

You're listening to something. And here's the thing, what you

give attention to, you act on. And Paul's reminded them you

formally listened. Come on, say I don't listen to

that no more. Come on, say I don't listen to

that no more. I don't listen to that no more.

Amen. I don't listen to that no more.

Jesus himself had two voices talked to him when he asked the

question Who do people say that I am?

And then it tells him that he's going to die.

Peter comes up according to his his emotions.

His flesh speaks 1st and then Satan enforces the message.

He says you're not going to die and the Lord addressed get thee

behind me, Satan. That was not an independent

thought for Peter. He heard it.

Hallelujah, so he said this, among whom we all verse 3 also

formally conducted ourselves in the lust of the flesh, doing the

desires of the flesh and of the. So not are we trying to satisfy,

making our body feel good with stuff that's just killing us,

but we're trying to satisfy our mind with stuff that's just

killing us. And we were by nature this is

talking to our spirit children of the wrath, even as the rest

all but we all love verse 4 right?

But God come on. But God being rich in what you

know how he's rich in mercy. You know what what the wealth of

his mercy is. It's his blood because when he's

paid all the price for all sin, he can be merciful to say you

can come off. I know you did that, but I've

really already paid that You come off.

OK, I realize you've done that, but that's OK.

I've already paid that. You can come off.

Well, now can I do that? Look, it won't matter what

you've done. I've paid for it.

So I'm merciful. It's no, It's because you're not

getting away with it. It's not like it's unnoticed.

No, I've actually already paid for all that.

So go ahead and commit another crime and my blood's got that.

Go ahead and sin again, my blood's got that.

Go ahead and rebel again. My blood's got.

I've already paid for it. So This is why I'm merciful,

because you're not getting away with it.

I'm paying every price of your disobedience.

I'm footing the bill here. This is what Jesus is doing.

He's footing the bill and he's rich in mercy 'cause his blood

paid it all. But if you don't accept his

mercy payment, if you don't come to the mercy seat, then you'll

have to pay your own account. It won't go to your.

Account. He's like everything, every debt

you're accumulating right now, I have it in savings.

It's in the mercy seat. I can.

All we got to do is make a withdrawal and pay it all.

So God being rich in mercy because of his what?

Because of his great love with which He loved us, What is that

love? Let us make man in our IMS

according to our likeness and let him have dominion man.

That's what I've said about man, and that's what I will keep as

the ability for man to be, even though God could say you don't

deserve it and he's right. But God says I, I fulfill my

word not because of deserving. I keep my word.

I keep it because this is about my integrity.

This is about my holiness. This is about my justice.

This is about my glory. This is about my supremacy.

This is about my sovereignty. This is about my righteousness.

Because I am the only righteous holy there is.

And even though you don't deserve it, I'm not emotionally

attached to move towards you one way or the other.

I'm moved only by what my word says.

And my word says man's going to have dominion.

And even though none of you deserve a pathway back, I make a

pathway for my sake, for my name, for my glory, for my

honor, for my majesty. And you have the privilege to

know me. Hallelujah, I said.

He's God. He's God.

And he's rich, he had great love towards us.

I will keep my word. I will do it verse 5 when even

when we were dead in our transgression made us alive

together with Christ. By grace you have been saved.

Here it is verse 6 and raised us up with him because verse

chapter one said his seat is far above.

All principalities and powers and dominions, not only in this

age, but the age to come. But no, it's now he raised us

up. Reserve seating.

He's got a reserve section for us.

Not everybody can be here. It's been reserved.

Oh, excuse me, Sir. Yeah, I have reserved seating.

Oh, how's that? I'm in Christ.

Oh, I know where your seat is. Come on up here.

You're seated right here by the right hand of the Father.

You're in Christ seat. He's seated at the right hand.

You're in his seat. OK, come on down here right now.

Come on up front here. You're in the reserve section

now. You're not in a reserve section.

If you disobedient, if you're trying to live a formal life,

you're losing access to your reserve seat.

God wants you to stay in the reserve seat.

Don't think. Listen, because you've come out,

you get reserve seating. You've been raised up with him

and seated with him in heavenly places in, in Christ, not in

your work, not in your effort, but in the finished work of

Jesus, that then he speaks to you of which your spirit is made

alive, so that you want to obey God, because the new Spirit

that's in Christ obeys, obeys the Father Jesus, obeyed the

Father Jesus. Said I don't do anything, I'm

all in will. But whatever the Father says, I

do. And guess what?

You have that spirit. You have that spirit, you have

the connection, you're alive, you can hear.

Then you have the third person of the Godhead.

The Holy Spirit lives in you. Then he's endued you with power.

These are heavenly blessings that are yours in Christ because

you're a child of the king. Verse seven goes on to say this.

He says so that in the ages to come he might show the

surpassing riches of His grace and kindness towards us in

Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved

through faith. It is not of yourself.

It is a gift of God, not of works, so that you may boast,

meaning you can't say I'll do this and you have to accept it.

You can't do that for we not of works that no one can boast.

You can't do it on your own. You have to accept what Jesus

did. Verse 10 For we are his created

for not born again. For heaven you're not born

again. For heaven you're not born

again. So you'll know where you'll go

when you die, which is heaven. That's not why no, you are here.

Who's who's? This ain't about you, this about

him. It's not about you, it's about

him. Because if you want to be what

he is or what he has, then you got to do it his way.

And listen, he's not compromising. 0 Compromise.

This is why you want to compromise.

Let me tell you what Rd. you're on.

It's pretty wide. You want to negotiate with God

now, Lord, you know I want to be right with you.

But there's some things down here I kind of like my.

Former do you understand? I mean, I've come to church, but

but he said no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

I made you away. I did that.

You're different. You're my workmanship.

And if you're my workmanship, then you've been created in

Christ for. Good works which got prepared

beforehand so that they would. So you're walking is according

to his design. When he's Lord, you've died.

Yeah, that's right. You've died to your own

pleasures, your former manner of life, your way of doing things.

Now you say, well, man, I don't even get a say so no, in one

sense you don't, and you don't want your own say so.

But you can't have a say so within the context of what's

holy and righteous. Listen, God would have no

problem to assemble a bunch of human beings and say, listen, we

want to do this. What do you think?

And this is his will. And you're like, well, we could

do this, which is according to your will.

Well, you know, but we could do it this way, Lord, according to

your will. We could do it this way, Lord,

according to your will. Cause nothing we're saying

violates your will. And he can say, well, we can do

that. And he allows you to have a buy

in. Are you hearing me?

I mean, you can wear clothes as long as the buy in is in the

term modest. Oh.

Y'all don't want to hear? That's fine.

Do you understand what I'm saying?

I mean there are things that are going on that you can agree with

and you still are a part of the pracles.

God made you too creative. But you can't say I'm not doing

what you want because that the a reigning society does not.

Have that attitude. We only have what's in Christ.

Whatever the Father says I'm going to do, I love to do it

because I love him and he's life.

And if I if I don't, then I'm willfully saying I want death.

So he reminds them, listen, all the principalities and powers

are under the feet of Jesus of which he's given to the church.

And I want to remind you, you lived away, but by grace through

faith, you're now a child of God.

You've received the gift of life for in Christ, for you to be a

good work of His that He can glorify you, can show glory to

Him through your life's behavior in the world.

Can I get an AM? That's the key and this is just

first couple of chapters of him talking to the church at

Ephesus. We're we're a different society

now, different breed of people. We function differently now and

when we function that way, it glorifies God and it will cause

man to say I look like a drunken stupor and I used to look like

that. Oh, you don't want to, do you

understand? You're not showing the law

anymore. You are the new law because it's

written in your heart. You're under the law of the

spirit of life in Christ Jesus. When you walk in a room, people

should say that's what I could look like, so that's what I look

like. That's what you look like.

That's what you look like. Look at me.

I mean, you have peace. I don't.

You have sanity. I don't.

You're calm. I'm not.

You have Lovejoy peace kind of self.

I don't have any. You mean that's me.

Oh, that's you in Christ, man. This is you in Christ.

This is you in Christ that when you live it, you testify to

everyone. You come around.

They're like, is that what I could be like?

This is what you can be like, how Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,

Jesus. So is your portrait of life the

original? Or when you go to work, do you

have the same portrait as everyone else?