Old Llantrisant Hill
Intro
- Going slowly through Ephesians - shows the depths of God graces
- We have every spiritual blessing (now and every)
- Election
- Sanctification
- Adoption
Doctrine of Union with Christ
- In Him, In Christ, In the Beloved
- It is said that some people miss out preaching about a relationship with God
- Not just a Saviour
- He has come to restore a relationship between God and man
- Do we present a person - the Lord Jesus Christ
- The gospel is not just an insurance policy
- The gospel is about coming into a relationship with Jesus
- Joined with Christ
- v3, v4, v6, v7, v11
- 25 times in Pauls' letter: in Christ
- Quote from, John Newton
- The metaphor of marriage: man and woman unified
- Eph 5 - Christ is the bridegroom and we are the wife
- Have you contemplated this doctrine?
An Eternal Union
- We were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world
- We were in the mind and heart of a God from all eternity
- Our names already written in the book of life
A Federal Union
- Rom 5:ff
- A comparison between the first adam and the eternal Adam
- Adam is a representative/federal head for mankind
- Jesus Christ is the last Adam and is the representative/federal head for the Church
- Tonight you are either in Adam or in Jesus
Christ
- Whatever Jesus did when He came into the world He did for His children
- E.g. baptism
- E.g. Jesus' death, burial, Ascension
- Rom 6:3-5
- Col 2:10-15
- Quote from Lloyd-Jones
A Spiritual Union
- We are joined to Jesus Christ (not in theory but in reality)
- Like a marriage
- The divine and the human wedded together
- An indissoluble union in Jesus Christ
- We have become temples of the Holy Spirit
- Christ lives in Us
- We have a wonderful husband
- We share Jesus' name
- We have Jesus' wealth and He has paid our debts
- We have Jesus' love and affection
- The Song of Solomon - a picture of Jesus and His Church
- Example of Spurgeon
Closing Remarks
- That each one of us would taste and see the Lord is Good
- We would have close communion with Christ