What I'm going to attempt to
preach on tonight, you're not going to understand. And I'm not going to understand. And somebody may think, well,
why would you expect me to believe something I don't understand?
Because the word of God teaches it. Is any other reason needed? There are many things in the
Bible that we do not understand that we believe. I don't understand
eternity. I can't grasp it. I believe it. I cannot understand how God is
one God in three distinct persons. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit. I do not understand that. But
I believe it with all my heart. And what I am going to be talking
about is something that cannot be intellectually grasped and
understood, but it can be believed. And what joy there is in believing. And may the Lord enable us to
believe what is being taught in his word. Now look in verse
four, but God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith
he loved us. Even when we were dead in sins
hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace you are saved
and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heaven
in Christ Jesus. Now he speaks of us. We. You. Who's he talking about? Who are these people who are
so privileged? Everyone he's quickened together
with Christ. Everyone who is saved by grace. The same us that God is for when
God says, if God be for us, who can be against us? This is a
reference to all of God's elect, everybody for whom Christ died,
all those who believe, all those who have been quickened together
with Christ, all those who were chosen in Christ before the foundation
of the world. Do you understand that? I don't,
but I believe it. I understand in the sense, if
you're saved because God chose you, I understand that real well.
But as to why he would choose me, I don't understand it. Now, everybody that he's talking
about has this as their greatest desire. Now let me repeat that. Everybody
that he's talking about has this as their greatest desire. I want to be with Jesus Christ. I want that more than anything
else. As God is my witness, I want
to be with him. I want to be with Him all the
time. I don't want there ever to be
a time when I'm not with Him. I'm not always conscious of it.
I realize that. But my great desire is to be
with Him. Now that's the great desire of
every believer. Heaven will be being with Him. The reason I was chosen before
time began is because I was with Him. Now this is talking about
the believer's eternal union with the Lord Jesus Christ. I've
always been with Him. And whatever He has done, I have
done because I'm united to Him. Now we sing a song, I should
have been crucified. I should have suffered and died. I was crucified. More than I should have been,
I was crucified. I did suffer and I did die because
I am united to the Lord Jesus Christ and whatever he did, I
did. Literally. Literally. Now do I understand
that? No. Do I believe it? With all my heart. Now this is the very heart and
soul of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Union with Himself. There is
no understanding of anything concerning the gospel apart from
believing. Now, I'm not saying understanding,
because I don't understand how I'm entirely united to Christ.
Don't understand it. I don't understand how I had
personality before God, before the world began, how he knew
me. He knew me because I was me. And I had personality. I've
always been united to Christ. I've always been with him. There's
never been a time when I've not been with him. And I'm with him
right now. And I'll be with him eternally
because I'm in him. Now, no doctrine of the scripture
is really comprehended without believing this thing of union
with the Lord Jesus Christ. I dare say that this is, and
not that I have enough sense to pick out one thing and say,
well, this is most important or it's all important, but I
dare say this is the most important truth in scripture. Union. with the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation
17, 14 says he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and they that
are with him. Isn't that where you want to
be with him? They that are with him are called,
chosen and faithful. Now in the immediate context,
notice Those who were dead in sins were quickened together
with him. That's who he's talking about,
those who are dead in sins. Now, I know this for sure. I was born without any spiritual
life. I know that. Dead in sins. People say, well, did you have
a three wheel? dead in trespasses and sins. Now, who were the people
he gave life to? Those who were dead in trespasses
and sins, who had no ability to make any contribution to their
salvation at all. Dead, dead. Those are the ones
whom he hath quickened. And notice these three togethers
in our text. But God, who is rich in mercy
for his great love, wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. You know what that means? When Christ lived, I lived. He is my life before God. And
when Christ lived, I lived. When did you live? Whenever Christ
did. Go on reading, verse six, and
hath raised us up together with Christ. When were you raised? When Christ was. When did you
live? When Christ lived. Now, once
again, ain't no way anybody can understand this, but it's what
the Bible teaches, isn't it? And he has, look at this in verse
six, made us sit together in heaven in Christ Jesus. If Jesus Christ is in heaven,
I am too. Right now. Seated. How secure is Jesus Christ right
now? How pleasing. is Jesus Christ
to His Father? How beautiful is Christ to His
Father? How holy is Jesus Christ? How accepted is Christ? That
is how every believer is because they are with Him. Now that scripture that we quote
so much Matthew 121, thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall
save his people from their sins. Well, when I was quickened together
with him, I was saved from the penalty of sin. God's law looks
at me and says, he lives. There's no stink or stench of
death or sin. I'm quickened with Christ. I
was saved from the power of sin when Christ was raised from the
dead. I was raised to and I now have life. Life before God, not
death, but life. I can now do what I could not
do. I can believe. I do believe. I don't choose to believe, I
do believe. I don't choose to repent, I do
repent. I stay in a state of repentance,
taking sides with God against myself. Love him. I do what living men do. I'm
seated already in heaven in him. That is how real this union is. As he sits in heaven, Todd Nybert
and all of God's elect are sitting right there together with him. Near, so near to God, nearer
I cannot be. In the person of his dear son,
I'm as near to God as he. Dear, so dear to God, dearer
I cannot be. In the person of his dear son,
I'm as dear to God as he. Now, how can all this be? Because a virgin shall be with
child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his
name Immanuel." Which being interpreted, you might know the rest of the
verse, is God with. with him. He's eternal life. He is eternal life. I think that's
the best definition of eternal life. I love the way John called
him that eternal life. We try to we fumble and scratch
and try to describe eternal life and we fail miserably every time. He is eternal life. And when
He lived this eternal life for 33 years upon this earth, working
out a perfect righteousness, everything He did, He did as
an us. And somebody read it this morning,
thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. You see, when
the Lord Jesus Christ kept God's holy law, I was with Him. You
know, here's our claim to fame with Him. That's it. with him. Paul said in Galatians 1 20,
I am crucified with Christ. He didn't say I am representatively. He didn't say it's just as if
I were crucified with Christ. He said, I am crucified with
Christ. When Jesus Christ was nailed
to that cross, I was nailed to that cross because I'm united
to Him, with Him. You see, He was numbered with
the transgressors according to the Scriptures. That was said
in Isaiah 53 and quoted once again in the Gospels. He was
numbered. He was counted with the transgressors. They're with the transgressors. Why? He's with me. He's going to identify with me.
My transgressions became his transgressions so that he said,
I'll declare my iniquity. I'll be sorry for my sin. Romans chapter six, verse six
and Colossians chapter two, verse 12, it says buried with him.
buried with him. When they put him in that tomb,
you know who's there with him? Everybody he represented. All of the company of God's elect. All of those who believe. When
that stone was all rolled over the tomb and there was nothing
but darkness, he wasn't alone. He's never separated from his
body. He's never separated from his
elect. I was buried with him. And when he was quickened, I
was too. When he was raised, I was too. This is true of every believer. Union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Like I said, I've always loved
that song, I should have been crucified. I should have suffered
and died. And I still like that song. But
let's take it to where it really is. I was crucified. I did suffer and I did die. And I was raised from the dead
because I am eternally with the Lord Jesus Christ. And as he
sat down in heaven and all of God's elect sat down with him,
listen to this scripture, this teaching in scripture. Whom he
did foreknow, he's always known them, always loved them. There's
never been a time when he did not know me eternally. Whom he
did foreknow, Then he also did predestinate to be conformed
to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among
many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
then he also called, whom he called, then he also justified,
whom he justified, then he also glorified. Not he will glorify,
they're glorified. They're glorified. That is how
secure the believer is. seated in heavenly places in
Christ Jesus. Now somebody says, how can all
this be? Well, Paul put it this way. If
God be for you, how much is he for every believer? I want you
to think of the horrible things you've thought about him being
against you. He's for you. If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him? There's the key. With him freely
give us all things. Do you remember when Peter was
just dumbfounded by the Lord washing the disciples' feet.
And he was sitting there watching. And finally the Lord comes up
to Peter. And old Peter says, you'll never wash my feet. And
the Lord replied, if I wash thee not, thou has no part with me. Now that's something I can't
bear. And I say with Peter, wash my head, wash my hand, wash every
bit of me, because I want to have a portion, a part with Him. Now because of His eternal withness
with us, He says to each one of us, Lo, I am with you. even unto the end of the world. Now, what more could we want?
I am with you. Whether I feel it or not, he's
always with me. I may cry out, cast me not away
from my presence, O Lord. Don't take your Holy Spirit from
me. Don't leave me to myself. I might cry that out and feel
alone, but you know what? I'm not. I'm not. He is always with me because
He is always Jehovah Shammah. The Lord is present. He cannot
not be who He is. And He's always present with
His people. It's the privilege of every believer
to say, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff,
they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before
me in the very presence of my enemies. Who are your enemies? I know who mine are, my sins. Thou preparest a table before
me in the very presence of my enemies. Thou anointest my head
with oil, the oil of your grace, my cup overflow. Surely, goodness
and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will
dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I love what the Pharisees
said when they saw Peter and John. It says in Acts chapter
4 verse 13, now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, they perceived that they were
unlearned and ignorant men. There wasn't anything humanly
speaking about them that would create any of this kind of boldness.
They had this holy boldness, lack of fear. The scripture says
they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. That's boldness with Him. That's the only boldness I have
with Him. Believer, look at your place both now and
forever. Listen to this scripture, John
chapter 17, verse 24. Father, I will. Now I want you to think of the
power of that statement. Can you imagine coming into God's
presence and saying, Father, I will that you do this? We wouldn't dare say that. We
cringe at the very thought of it, knowing who we are. But this
is he who is equal with the Father. This is he who is God. Father,
I will that they whom you have given me be with me where I am. not that they will be with me
where I am. This is always the case. They're
with me where I am. When I'm in the bosom of the
father before time began, I'm with him. When he became
flesh, I'm with him. When he kept God's holy law,
I'm with Him. When He died on Calvary's tree,
I was crucified with Him. When He was buried, I was buried.
When He was raised from the dead, I was raised from the dead. Now, I'm always with Him. How often do I feel it? Not real often. Not real often. But you know,
one of these days, I'm going to always be conscious of being
in his presence, being with him, beholding his glory. Now, do you hear what he said?
I will, that they which you have given me be with me where I am,
that they may behold my glory. That's heaven, isn't it? to be
with Him and behold His glory. 1 Thessalonians 4, verses 16
and 17. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall
be raised first. Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with
the Lord. A word of encouragement. This
man receiveth sinners and eateth
with them. That's what we just saw. And the Lord demonstrated that
when he looked at that thief, who knew who he was. You're the
Lord. You're coming back as a mighty
king. Remember me when you come into
your kingdom. And what did the Lord say to
that man? Verily, I say unto you, today thou shalt be with
me. in paradise. Understand anything I've said?
No. No, I don't. Neither do you. Believe what I've said with all
my heart and soul. Let's pray. Lord, we stand amazed at your
gospel. Lord, our only desire is that
we might be with Christ, that we might be in Christ, that we
never be viewed in any way but with him, in him. Lord, how thankful
we are that There is union with Him so that we cannot ever be
separated from Him. We give thanks. Lord, take this
message and bless it for Your glory and for our good. In Christ's
name we pray. Amen.