Seated With Christ Jesus in the Heavenly Realms

Ephesians 2.6

Sanctity of Human Life in US, North Korean Brothers and Sisters in Christ - death penalty or life in a labor camp for owning a Bible. Tomorrow Martin Luther King Day. Presidential Innauguration. Freedom is a precious thing. Life is sacred.

This morning we are talking about spiritual blessings in Christ.
Every Spiritual blessing in Christ
God gave us life to be seated with Christ.
We are children of God through faith in Him.
He is at the right hand of God. He is making intercession for us.


Seated with Him in the Heavenly Realms
Heavenly
existing in heaven, things that take place in heaven, the heavenly regions,
heaven itself, the abode of God and angels, of heavenly origin or nature

Matthew 18.35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

John 3.12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

II Timothy 4.18 And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ...

We are in the kingdom of God, anticipating His glory, and are so blessed with salvation and in our fellowship with Christ Jesus.

We have been raised us up together--with Christ. The "raising up" is about Jesus coming out of the tomb, and of us in the grave of our sins.
God has made us sit together--with Christ in His ascension. Believers are bodily in heaven in point of right, and virtually so in spirit, and have each their own place assigned there, which in due time they shall take possession of ( Phl 3:20, 21). He does not say ”at the right hand of the Father. That place is for Jesus alone. We will share His throne.
Revelation 3:21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.

As followers of Jesus Christ we are seated with Him in heavenly places:

1. Our Eyes Are Opened to Heavenly Realities

We walk by faith not by sight. However we do see things here on the earth from a completely different perspective because of our citizenship being in heaven.

Because of Christ being in our lives and hearts we see things those without Him do not see.
We view suffering differently.
We view sickness differently.
We view death differently.
We view money and material possessions differently.
We see success differently.
We look at people who offend us differently.

We see Jesus.
Hebrews 2:8-9 ”In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone."

We see eternity.
We see two places of eternal destiny for each soul.
We see the value of a single soul.


2. Our Minds Are Moved By Heavenly Desires

We think differently.
Our desires are not to see people happy but to see them become holy.
We long to see people come to know Christ.

We think about how our actions and words will effect people.

Because we are seated with Christ Jesus in heavenly places we realize that He is next to us here on this earth.
-Our behavior is effected by this.
-It is a source of great encouragement. II Timothy 4.16-18
-Knowing we are seated with Christ Jesus in heavenly places is a great source of strength.
1 Thessalonians 3:13 May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
-Knowing that we are seated with Him in the heavenly realm is a great source of hope.
Psalm 33:18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love.

3. Our Hearts Are Satisfied By Heavenly Joys

A good part of this is quiet times with Jesus. When He shows you things between Him and you. John 14.21, 23
Turn your eyes upon Jesus...
Sitting alone with Him is being seated with Him in the heavenly realm. We are elevated from earth.

Part of this comes when we worship together.

We serve with a joy. We are imitating Christ. John 13
In our daily work we can commune with Him.

Seated with Him in the Heavenly Realms
That is where we are now in spiritual privilege.
That is where we ought to be living in spiritual experience.
This where God has us in our spiritual position and He wants us conscious of it on our spiritual pilgrimage.