Message Two—”Sit”, “Walk”, And “Stand”
Eph. 2:6 And raised us up together with Him and seated us together with Him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus.
4:1 I beseech you therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called.
6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
The Three Sections of Ephesians
Of all the Epistles of Paul, the book of Ephesians touches the highest pinnacle of the Christian life. This book can be divided into three sections. The first section covers chapter one through chapter three. It emphasizes the facts which we hold in Christ. The second section covers chapter four to chapter six, verse 9. It speaks of the things in Christ and how they are applied to man. The third section covers chapter six, verse 10 to the end of the book. In addition to what we have obtained in Christ and what is applied to men, this section speaks of the attacks from Satan and the way to withstand him.
Ephesians 2:6 says that we are “seated” with the Lord in the heavenlies. The word sit is the key word in the first section. Ephesians 4:1 says that we should “walk” worthily of the calling with which we were called. The word walk is the key word in the second section. Ephesians 6:13 says that everything is done, and that we have to “stand.” The word stand is the key word in the third section.
Our Inheritance in Christ—Sit
Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ.” This verse points out the central thought of the first three chapters of this book; it contains a most important point. According to Paul, this book is not about earthly things, but about heavenly things. God has given man every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies.
Ephesians 1:4-14 then speaks of how God selected and predestinated us unto sonship, how He redeemed and forgave us, and how we have received the Holy Spirit. All these are the heavenly blessings mentioned in verse 3. Since we have already received these things, why are we still so poor? My answer is that we are all millionaires, but that we are poor millionaires. Suppose a prodigal son does not realize that his father has left him a will. He will continue to live in poverty. When he takes out his father’s will from the safe and reads it, and when he begins to claim his inheritance, he will become a rich millionaire. Spiritually speaking, we often are poor millionaires. If our eyes are veiled day after day, we will surely live a life of poverty. We will live a life that is beset by sin and frustrated by temptations. We will not see that God has given us everything in Christ. Our eyes must be opened to see the inheritance that God prepared for us in Christ.
Our Application Before Men—Walk
Now let us come to the second section. Ephesians 4:1 says that since we are called, we should “walk” worthily of this calling. If a man has never sat, he can never walk. To sit is to rest. It indicates that everything is done, or that someone else has done all the work. This is like riding in the car or on a boat; someone else is moving the vehicle. We can sit in the same way because the Lord has done everything. He has done everything for us; He has identified Himself with us, and He has given us His life. When did God create Adam and Eve? He created them on the sixth day. Hence, the seventh day for God is the first day for man. Man’s first day is God’s Sabbath day. As soon as man was created, he entered into God’s rest. If we cannot sit, it must mean that we have not yet received salvation. There was only one person who entered the Holy of Holies to make atonement for sins—the high priest. Even ordinary priests were not allowed to enter (Heb. 9:7). The curtains of the tabernacle kept outsiders away from the sanctuary. God wants us to make no mistake about this—He does not want man to have any share in the matter of redemption. As far as man’s forgiveness is concerned, he “sits” on the Lord’s redemption. It is not a matter of serving God or seeking for salvation. God has freely given us the grace of forgiveness. Both the problem of sin and the problem of the old man are dealt with by “sitting.” If we have never sat down, we can never do any work. Wherever faith is, there is no work. Everything has been accomplished by God already; all we have to do is receive.
If we can sit, God will make us walk. The second section, Ephesians 4:1—6:9, is on walking. Ephesians 4:17 says, “That you no longer walk.” Verse 19 says, “To work all uncleanness in greediness.” Verse 22 says, “Your former manner of life, the old man.” Ephesians 5:2 says, “Walk in love.” Verse 8 says, “Walk as children of light.” Verse 11 speaks of “unfruitful works,” and verse 12 speaks of “the things which are done.” Verse 15 says, “Look therefore carefully how you walk.” Ephesians 6:8 speaks of “whatever good thing each ones does.” This portion of the Word repeatedly and emphatically mentions the matter of a Christian’s walk.
Please remember that not only are we in the Lord, but the Lord is also in us. Once we are connected to Christ, His life will flow into us and we will be able to walk. This is like the electric light bulb; when the bulb is connected to the current from the power plant, electricity will be in the bulb and the bulb will light up. First God operates, and then we walk. Without God’s operation in Ephesians 3:20, it would be impossible to have the walk of chapter four. First we overcome, and then we go into battle. Christ’s salvation first brings in rest and then brings in a walk, unlike other religions which work first and then achieve something later.
Our Withstanding Before Satan—Stand
The third section of Ephesians begins with chapter six, verse 10 and goes to the end of the book. It is the “final” word. The final word concerns the way to deal with Satan. We must first understand that we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies and then understand our proper walk on earth. Finally, we need to know how to deal with God’s enemy, Satan. Paul told us to put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand. It says to stand because we do not overcome Satan by our fighting. The Lord has overcome and placed us in the position of victory. All we have to do is to stand and withstand. None of God’s armor is for attacking; it is all defensive. Chapter two says that we are seated in the heavenlies. Sitting means that we have overcome the powers and principalities. Now we only need to maintain this stand. Chapter six does not mention any actual warfare; it only mentions withstanding. If a person realizes that he only needs to withstand and that everything is done, he will encounter no problems.
Thank the Lord that we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies. Now we can walk on earth before men, and we can stand to withstand Satan. Thank God that we can “sit,” “walk,” and “stand.” (CWWN, vol. 42, “Conferences, Messages, and Fellowship (2),” msg. 57)
