The Big “Done”
ICS Daily Devotions
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!
