…he raised us from the dead with Christ and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms – all because we are one with Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:6Ephesians 2:6
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
6 God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven.

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I can remember sitting at the dinner table growing up. We had high back chairs, antiques. They were creaky, and as dinner would progress we were constantly being told to sit up, not to fidget, not to lean back. Ah, the memories of a child. Probably the most common place I am seated these days is in front of my laptop. My couch isn’t the most comfortable in the world, but in the evening you will likely find me cross-legged, tucked in the corner of the couch, leaning over my laptop keyboard as some show plays in the background. Undoubtedly, you have your own pictures of what it might look like to be “seated”.

When I think about the throne of heaven, I often have a very different picture. One of standing and pleading, or bowing asking for mercy. The only seat I can often imagine is the seat that the criminal sits in, being prosecuted. But this is not the picture Paul paints. We are seated with him in the heavenly realms. Jesus is seated in honor and power, with authority. He is the rightful king of heaven and earth. And we are seated with him, sharing in his honor and in his relationship with the Father.

From all that Paul shares, we should recognize that we were unworthy to stand in God’s presence, let alone sit in a position of authority and honor with Christ. Paul begins Ephesians 2 describing us with phrases such as “dead”, “doomed forever”, “full of sin”, and “under God’s anger.” He is holy, and our nature is so caught up in the world’s ways of thinking and acting. It is a constant battle.

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead…he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (Ephesians 1:4-5Ephesians 1:4-5
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
4 Before the world was created, God had Christ choose us to live with him and to be his holy and innocent and loving people. ⁵ God was kind b holy and innocent and loving people. ⁵ God was kind: Or “holy and innocent people. God was loving ⁵ and kind.” and decided that Christ would choose us to be God's own adopted children.

WP-Bible plugina) Our position is secure because Christ was raised. His death paid the penalty of our sin, but his resurrection is a promise of new life. Having accepted Christ and followed him in faith, every day is to be lived in light of our position in Christ. If we lose sight of that, all sorts of things go wrong. We may fall into pits of paralyzing guilt when we see our failure to live to the measure of Jesus. Or we slave away in an exhausting path of discipline and self denial, hoping our effort will somehow please a God we have little hope even likes us.

But when we see of our spiritual life from the vantage point of the risen Christ, who bore our sin, we see the depth’s of God’s love, the extent of his willingness to do whatever it takes to restore us and make us like his Son. It’s from this place that we can begin to grow. Seated with Jesus, we have power to walk.

Today, we are going to just sit and turn our attention on God. He is worthy of that attention, no? His character and his works deserve our awe, our reverent fear, our love and devotion. So, I just want to offer Psalm 103 to you today. Take whatever time you have, read and maybe even reread, then pray over these words of praise and self-evaluation.

Thank God, whether you are in the midst of blessing or trial, from the depth of your being:

Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.
He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.
He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly.

He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel.
The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever.
He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.
Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here.
But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!

The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything.

Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands.
Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will!
Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Palm 103, NLT

So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better and better.

Colossians 1:9-10Colossians 1:9-10
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
The Person and Work of Christ ⁹ We have not stopped praying for you since the first day we heard about you. In fact, we always pray that God will show you everything he wants you to do and that you may have all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives. ¹⁰ Then you will live a life that honors the Lord, and you will always please him by doing good deeds. You will come to know God even better.

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When we think about the call of Christ, we often focus on the cost first, and never move beyond that. We think of what we might be called to sacrifice. We imagine the extremes, and allow ourselves to get caught up in worries about what we might have to give up, what we might have to endure. Rather than loosening up our lives to be used by Christ, we hunker down and cling even more closely to the familiar. No matter how much or little we have – or even whether we are happy with who we are and the way we live our lives – when our tunnel-vision takes over, the call to discipleship is an imposing monument. All too often, we choose what we know over what is unknown.

The truly unfortunate thing here is that when we settle for life-as-we-know-it, we often realize we are missing the boat. The guilt we feel could be truth hitting us in the gut, telling us we have settled for less than God, less than the truth. But we build up defensive walls against this guilt. We offer excuses to assure ourselves that we are doing the right thing. We have children to take care of. We have aging parents. We have retirement to save for. We have debt. We are uncomfortable in new situations. We don’t have the right skills or training. We have never done that before, whatever that is. People might accuse us of being arrogant or “religious” if we stepped out into the unknown. And what if we messed up?

What would be different if instead of focusing on the cost (often imagined) first, we focused on what God could do, what God wants to do? What if we focused on what he was capable and willing to do, and only then looked at the the cost to make it reality?

Let’s start simple: God is not limited by our resources. He can provide what is needed for our families and for our community. He wants to! He is kind and loving. He knows that we have needs, having created us with those needs. But those needs were never meant to be an excuse for avoiding him. If we started from the premise that God will meet our needs as we follow him – wherever he leads – I think we would find more satisfaction and more joy.

God wants us to reach our friends, family and community, and is uniquely gifting us to do just that. We can see lives changed, marriages healed. We can see people respond to God. God will move in our midst! And while God never guarantees to “show up” according to our time-frame or expectations, we have every reason to have confidence that God is with us. We will not find true satisfaction unless we embrace God’s call for our lives!

He isn’t calling everyone to Africa. He isn’t calling everyone to be a pastor or teacher or to get a seminary degree. But we should question ourselves if we are comfortable with an “ordinary Christian” life. God wants us to experience him abundantly! And living in a Christian rut of endless book studies and worship services was never the point. These are not bad things – but they are just means to and end: a closer relationship with God; as Paul wrote, “to know God better and better”.

God’s call is not a guarantee of happiness or ease. But are we really all that “happy” seeking our own comfort? Is the world offering anything that is a fair trade for fulfilling our purpose and receiving the commendation of the God who created us? Think about how the time you spend serving someone in need could end in God receiving glory and even a soul in new and rich relationship with its God. What cost would keep you from vision like that?

Today, thank God for the shed blood of Jesus, that ushered in a new relationship between God and sinners:

And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which seals the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out to forgive the sins of many.”

Matthew 26:27-28Matthew 26:27-28
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
27 Jesus picked up a cup of wine and gave thanks to God. He then gave it to his disciples and said, “Take this and drink it. ²⁸ a ; b This is my blood, and with it God makes his agreement with you. It will be poured out, so that many people will have their sins forgiven.

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And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And he said to them, “This is my blood, poured out for many, sealing the covenant between God and his people.”

Mark 14:23-24Mark 14:23-24
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
23 Jesus picked up a cup of wine and gave thanks to God. He gave it to his disciples, and they all drank some. ²⁴ a ; b Then he said, “This is my blood, which is poured out for many people, and with it God makes his agreement.

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After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This wine is the token of God’s new covenant to save you – an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.”

Luke 22:20Luke 22:20
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
20 After the meal he took another cup of wine in his hands. Then he said, “This is my blood. It is poured out for you, and with it God makes his new agreement.

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Many were amazed when they saw him – beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know he was a person.* In a world sanitized of violence and blood – hating to be reminded of all it signifies – the cup that carried the wine reminds us of the punishment our savior endured. God in the flesh, the true image of God, man as God intended him to be, was marred beyond recognition. Do you see the poetry, the irony in it? That Satan could not stand to see God reflected in the man Jesus? That his every intention to destroy that image resulted in God’s complete victory over sin?

I recently read a book on Communion where the author declared her belief that we focus too much on the blood, too much on the sacrifice, too much on the payment for sin in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Quite to the contrary, I left that work more aware of how important it is to take Jesus’ words to heart. He recognized the importance of his blood! It was costly. He received more than just an unjust beating; he was deprived of justice and experienced the humiliation of a criminal’s death at the hands of a violent and unyielding people: He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people realized  that he was dying for their sins – that he was suffering their punishment?*

Jesus offers the cup to remind us – his followers – that he willingly died to ratify the new relationship between us and God. He bore the penalty for us, so that we could stand in the presence of a holy God. And not just stand; we can bow, worship, praise – all without fear of rejection or condemnation. We are his inheritance, his reward. But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.*

Rejoice! Jesus has redeemed us! Now let us walk in the righteousness we have been given. Let us honor the sacrifice and the price Jesus’ paid by giving our lives in return. This is his call to discipleship; it is not a lighthearted and effortless faith, rather a total physical and spiritual response to the great gift of God.

* Isaiah 52:14; 53:7-8, 10-12Isaiah 52:14; 53:7-8, 10-12
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
14 Many were horrified at what happened to him. b him: One ancient translation; Hebrew “you.” But everyone who saw him was even more horrified because he suffered until he no longer looked human. c human: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse ¹⁴. ⁷ . . He was painfully abused, but he did not complain. He was silent like a lamb being led to the butcher, as quiet as a sheep having its wool cut off. ⁸ He was condemned to death without a fair trial. Who could have imagined what would happen to him? His life was taken away because of the sinful things my people f my people: Or “his people.” had done. ¹⁰ The Lord decided his servant would suffer as a sacrifice to take away the sin and guilt of others. Now the servant will live to see his own descendants. h The Lord... descendants: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. He did everything the Lord had planned. ¹¹ By suffering, the servant will learn the true meaning of obeying the Lord. Although he is innocent, he will take the punishment for the sins of others, so that many of them will no longer be guilty. ¹² The Lord will reward him with honor and power for sacrificing his life. Others thought he was a sinner, but he suffered for our sins and asked God to forgive us.

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You are no longer to be dominated by sin. Yes, you’ll struggle against sin for the rest of your days. But there is no need to be mastered by it.

Baptism is a symbol that a boundary has been crossed. A transition has occurred, and there is really no “going back” to the way you were. The price for sin has been paid, and you now walk in forgiveness! The old you that you are so familiar with is a thing of the past:

Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

Romans 6:3-4Romans 6:3-4
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
3 Don't you know that all who share in Christ Jesus by being baptized also share in his death? ⁴ . When we were baptized, we died and were buried with Christ. We were baptized, so that we would live a new life, as Christ was raised to life by the glory of God the Father.

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Think back to before you came to know Jesus. How would you describe your life? What did you struggle with? What temptations were present? Now think about today. Same questions, but present tense: What do you struggle with? What are the temptations you deal with? For some, the struggles are completely different. For others, they are the same. You might be daily fighting against the same sinful attitudes you once did. As you have followed Jesus, he might have brought victory in some areas, allowing others to come to the forefront. But we are tempted daily. We all struggle – if not with sin, then with what is best; what is God’s will, his current activity, his desire for us every moment of every day.

Baptism signifies this break. Life before Christ is looking for excuses to cover our sin. It is hiding from judgment. It is looking for the comfortable, the way out, what is pleasant, what satisfies our cravings – at least for a time. Our whole nature was bent on suiting ourselves, or excusing ourselves. Well, no more, thank you!

On this side of the baptismal waters, we find that life isn’t about us. These “new lives” aren’t to be squandered on selfish ambition or pleasure, or finding loop-holes through careful reading of God’s word. Jesus didn’t just drain the sin tank, making room for more evil. In these new lives we will struggle against sin. But on this side, we have new hearts. We have new minds. We have purpose and connection we didn’t have before. We can overcome sin, as we draw closer to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Paul wrote the words of Romans 6 to people who were questioning what God’s grace meant in their lives. Some were saying that continuing down a path of sin would actually bring God more glory, by highlighting his mercy even more! Paul quickly points out that this argument misses God’s desire and heart for us. He didn’t die so that we could continue with life as it was, now protected by some magic pixie dust that assured our good standing in the last days. He died to destroy the hold sin had on our lives. And he rose again, not to assure us that we would have some happy ever-after spent in self-indulgence, but to give us confidence and hope.

Confidence, that we can please him as we run from sin and follow God’s will – becoming more like his Son. Hope, that one day we will share in his resurrection and his victory over death.