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THE PENTATEUCH

GENESIS ---EXODUS--- LEVITICUS 1.1-7.38 --- 8.1-11.47 --- 12.1-16.34--- 17.1-27.34--- NUMBERS 1-10--- 11-19--- 20-36--- DEUTERONOMY 1.1-4.44 --- 4.45-11.32 --- 12.1-29.1--- 29.2-34.12 --- THE BOOK OF JOSHUA --- THE BOOK OF JUDGES --- PSALMS 1-17--- ECCLESIASTES --- ISAIAH 1-5 --- 6-12 --- 13-23 --- 24-27 --- 28-35 --- 36-39 --- 40-48 --- 49-55--- 56-66--- EZEKIEL --- DANIEL 1-7 ---DANIEL 8-12 ---

NAHUM--- HABAKKUK---ZEPHANIAH ---ZECHARIAH --- THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW ---THE GOSPEL OF MARK--- THE GOSPEL OF LUKE --- THE GOSPEL OF JOHN --- THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES --- 1 CORINTHIANS 1-7 --- 8-16 --- 2 CORINTHIANS 1-7 --- 8-13 -- -GALATIANS --- EPHESIANS --- COLOSSIANS --- 1 THESSALONIANS --- 2 THESSALONIANS --- 1 TIMOTHY --- 2 TIMOTHY --- TITUS --- HEBREWS 1-6 --- 7-10 --- 11-13 --- JAMES --- JOHN'S LETTERS --- REVELATION

--- THE GOSPELS

Chapter 21 Are We Living Life in the Spiritual Realm, ‘The Heavenly Places’? (Ephesians 1.3, 20; 2.6).

Here we now come to the heart of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, and in it we are introduced to an even deeper and more wonderful awareness of our calling, so wonderful that we can hardly believe it. For in this letter Paul describes the mighty power that raised up Christ from the dead and lifted Him up far above all the powers of Heaven and earth, putting all things under His feet (1.20-22), a power of majestic proportions, and it raised Him to ‘the heavenly places’ (the spiritual realm). And he tells us that that incredible power is being exercised within us and on our behalf too (1.19), so that we too have been raised to those heavenly places (2.6). We have been lifted with Him into the spiritual realm. And this has been done by a power beyond anything known to man and is being expressed towards ‘us who believe’ (1.19). The whole power of His resurrection and ascent to glory is by this being exercised on our behalf.

And what has this power done? It has raised us up with Him, and made us alive spiritually, and seated us in our spiritual lives in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (2.6). That is what it means to be a Christian. Thus do we learn that in Christ we have been lifted up in our spiritual lives into God’s very presence and seated on Christ’s very throne. And that is where we are now. Thus as we live out our mortal lives here on earth, in our spiritual lives we are with God and with Jesus on His throne. (This does not divide us into two, for the spiritual realm is not ‘out there’ in space, it is where our spiritual aspect has its being, and where God is. We can thus be here and ‘there’ at the same time). We can carry Heaven around with us.

He tells us that we were once dead in trespasses and sins, living a life following lusts and mental longings, following the course of the prince of this world (Ephesians 2.1-3), caught up in trivialities, limited to what we could see around us. But now, He tells us, because we have believed in Christ, He has made us alive with Him, and united us with Himself in such a way that the glory that He has experienced is ours too (2.1-6; John 17.22), so that we in our spiritual lives are in glory with Him and sharing His throne. Was there ever anything more amazing than this? So when I go from my house each day, not only does He come with me in order to live out His life through me, but I go out conscious that in my spiritual life I am enveloped with Heaven, I am sharing His throne, and I am seated there in the very presence of the Father. As I walk the streets of my city, in my spirit I also stride the heavenly places with Him and in His presence. I may not see it, it is not something that can be seen. I may not feel it, for it is not the subject of earthly feelings. But I know that it is so, because He has said it. And it is mine because I am in union with Christ, and as I go forth I go forth in Him and in His presence. Thus can I pray and know that He hears me, and thus can I have the confidence that He lives and walks through me.

When the enemies of Israel wanted to get hold of Elisha because he was troublesome as a result of the prior knowledge of their tactics that he kept receiving from God, they sent a great army with chariots and horsemen to fetch him. And Elisha’s servant saw them and was terrified. But Elisha himself was totally unconcerned. As he sat there on that mountain looking out at those mighty forces he knew that God was there in the spiritual realm with all His even mightier forces watching over His servant Elisha. He could not see them. He did not need to do so. He knew that they were there. And he was unafraid. But he was sorry for his servant. So he said to God, ‘Lord, I pray you, open his eyes that he may see’ (2 Kings 6.17). And there on the mountain where they were seated the young man saw surrounding them, and protecting them from the enemy, a huge host of heavenly chariots and horsemen. He was being allowed a glance into the spiritual realm. But they had not just arrived when Elisha prayed. They had been there all the time. And Elisha knew it for he lived in the spiritual realm.

If we are Christ’s we live day by day in that spiritual realm. Our life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3.3). We share Christ’s throne and reign with Him. And that being so, like Elisha, we should be totally unafraid. For all that we do, we do from the throne.

And so in my daily life I must keep in touch with the One Who is on the throne, recognising that I am with Him there, and knowing that He is in the same way here with me, and desirous of living out His life through me. With such a knowledge how can I help but throw off all reserve, and commit myself wholly to His cause, and let Him live out His life through me in every aspect of my life, so that through me Christ does what is His own will and His own desire, and I do it along with Him?

It is true, of course, that in all this we will have spiritual battles. Because in that spiritual realm are unseen forces of evil who seek to drag us from our high position. The result is that in order to be kept safe with Him, we must be clothed in the whole armour of God (6.10-18) that we might have an answer to all His wiles. But on the other hand, in that spiritual realm we can also rejoice because we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ (1.3), as outlined in verses 4-14. We are chosen in Him (4). We are holy and without blame before Him in His love (4). We are adopted as sons of our Father (5). We are ‘surrounded by grace’ in Him (6). Through Him we have redemption and forgiveness which is provided from the riches of His grace in which He deals wisely towards us (7-8). There it has been given to us to know His purposes (9), and especially that one day in the outworking of His Stewardship He will bring together all things in Christ (10), so that that should be the be all and the end all of our lives. And in Him we have as an inheritance that we should be to the praise of His glory (11-12). And we have the Holy Spirit within us Who is the guarantee of it all (14). All this means that there is nothing worthwhile that is not available to us in His service.

So in view of all that He has done for us and given us, and all that is ours in Him, what else can we do but respond in the fullness of gratitude, and dying to ourselves and our aims and ambitions, seek only to let Him live through us a life that is pleasing to God? And say again, ‘Live out your life in me, O Lord my Saviour.’ For what else matters?