Ephesians 1:20-21, 2:6 (NKJV) which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come…and raised us up together raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
As Christians, we need to know that we have an enemy who wants to destroy us and our families with his subtle schemes. Therefore, we need to be vigilant and stand against him.
The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:14 that we should gird our waists with the truth or put on the belt of truth. The belt is where the sword is hung, and it holds up the other weapons. Therefore, once we have established God’s truth in our lives, we should be able to stand strong in the Lord and the power of His might because we cannot go through a spiritual battle with our strength.
The opening passage tells us what Christ has done for us. If we understand who we are in Christ, what we have in Him, and what we can do in Him, we will approach a spiritual battle very differently from those Christians who wear themselves out physically and emotionally by attempting to fight with their own strength instead of biblical truth. This is because if we know that Christ has already won the victory over the devil, all we need to do is enforce the victory by standing on the truth.
Remembering what Ephesians Chapters 1-3 teach us about our possessions in Christ enables us to approach the battle with a sense of victory. Watchman Nee in his book Sit, Walk, Stand said, “Let us first consider the implications of the word “sit.” As we have said, it reveals the secret of a heavenly life. Christianity does not begin with the walking; it begins with the sitting.”
Sitting is an attitude of rest. Some find it difficult to rest. It excites them when there is a procedure, a process, and a method to overcome the enemies. Because most world religions emphasise the big “do”, people fear that offending the gods they worship will bring punishment and retributions. Therefore, many Christians, especially those who come from other religious backgrounds, want to do something to earn God’s love and favour because they are used to doing something to please and be accepted by God. They think that nothing is free and there must always be a price to pay. However, the good news of the gospel is that Christ has done everything for us, and there is nothing that we can do to add to it. Therefore, we can rest in the finished work of Christ. This is a big “done” by Christ instead of a big “do” by us, and it brings us a deep sense of peace and relief.
Sermon Series： STAND!
大“成就”
以弗所书 1:20-21; 2:6 就是照他在基督身上所运行的大能大力, 使他从死里复活, 叫他在天上坐在自己的右边, 远超过一切执政的、掌权的、有能的、主治的和一切有名的, 不但是今世的, 连来世的也都超过了；… 他又叫我们与基督耶稣一同复活，一同坐在天上，
作为基督徒，我们需要知道有一位想用狡猾的计划摧毁我们和我们的家庭的仇敌。因此，我们必须提高警惕抵挡他。
使徒保罗在以弗所书6:14提到我们要用真理束腰或以真理当作带子束腰。腰带是挂剑的地方，也可以挂其他的武器。因此，一旦我们建立上帝的真理在我们的生活中，我们就应该能够在主和祂的大能里站立得稳，因为我们无法靠自己的力量进行这场属灵的争战。
开篇的经文告诉我们基督为我们成就的事。如果我们明白自己在基督里是谁，在祂里面拥有什么，在祂里面我们能做什么，比起那些试图凭自己的力量而不靠圣经真理而弄得身心俱疲的基督徒，我们对这场属灵争战的应对绝然不同。这是因为我们若是知道基督已经战胜魔鬼，我们所要做的就是坚持真理，巩固胜利。
回顾以弗所书 一到三章教导关于我们在基督里拥有些什么，这使我们能够带着得胜的心态去面对这场争战。倪柝声的书《坐，行，站》里说：“先看‘坐’这个词的含义，如我们之前说的，它揭示了属天生命的秘诀。基督信仰不是从与神同行开始的，而是从坐下开始的。”
“坐”是一个休息的姿态。有些人发现难以安息。当克敌制胜有一套可循的程序、步骤和方法时，他们就跃跃欲试。世界上大多数宗教都强调“做”很重要。人们害怕冒犯其所拜的神灵会招致惩罚和报应。所以，很多基督徒，尤其是那些来自其他宗教背景的，他们总想要做一些什么来赢得上帝的爱和眷顾，因为他们习惯于以“做事”来讨神的喜悦和接纳。他们认为天下没有免费的午餐，任何事都要付出代价。可是，福音的好消息是，基督已经为我们做了一切，我们无法做任何事来为其锦上添花。于是，我们得以在基督完成的工作中安息。救恩是基督的大“成就”，而不是我们的大“忙碌”，这使我们深感平安与释怀。
讲章系列：立定心志，站稳脚跟
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