Be who you are in Christ: Royalty!

Grace Bible Church
Pastor teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Tree of Life
Weekly Review
121519
Be who you are in Christ: Royalty!

Most of you realize that we are living in one of the greatest periods of dispensations for all time, and that is our dispensation, the Church-age. And I would like to begin this evening with the definition of a dispensation. A dispensation that we call the Dispensation [or literally, the period of time] of the Church-age with its mystery doctrine as the commands from headquarters in Heaven. Remember, as believers we are in union with the LORD Jesus Christ who is seated at the right hand of GOD the Father as a manifestation of one of the greatest doctrines known to man in this Church-age. This is called the Doctrine of the Session (promote RMBM Term Book).

It’s important for the student of the Word of GOD or those who are disciples of our LORD to always do their best to study the Doctrine of the Ascension with the Doctrine of the Session, whenever they are needed. The ascension refers to our LORD rising from the earth as HE says good-bye for now, and then ascended into Heaven with Michael the archangel following His resurrection and His position at the right hand of the Father.  The ascension is the doctrine of Christology that pertains to the transfer of our LORD's true humanity from planet earth to the third Heaven in a resurrection body.  There are two Christological dispensations which means that the LORD Jesus Christ is the center of two different dispensations; HIS Hypostatic - union and the Church-age. Both the ascension and session of Christ occurred in HIS resurrection body. HIS was the first resurrection in all of human history.

If Christ remained on earth, HE would have a limited glory, but when HE went to the third Heaven and being superior to all creation, HE therefore had unlimited glory. As a result of the resurrection of our LORD's humanity, He remained on earth for forty days before His ascension.  The ascension of Jesus Christ occurred on day forty in HIS resurrection body. The ascension of Christ also demonstrates the vertical travel of the resurrection body, moving with ease through the atmosphere of the earth. The galaxies of stellar universe, and the billions and billions of light years in an instant, and entering into the third heaven, the abode of GOD. Upon arrival in the third Heaven, our LORD was seated at the right hand of GOD the Father; this is the doctrine of the Session. Then He received His third royal title; “King of kings, LORD of LORDs, the Bright Morning Star.”

Because our LORD’s third royal title, He had no accompanying royal family, the Church-age was inserted for the calling out of a royal family. This is why this doctrine of ascension and session is the missing link between the resurrection of Christ and the Christian way of life. Something new had to be created to accompany this new third royalty of Jesus Christ, a new royal family. HIS new royalty had to be a new spiritual species, as per 2CO 5:17.

Therefore, the dispensation of Israel was interrupted seven years short of its completion. Then the omnipotence of the Father and of the Spirit was made available to believers. The Day of Pentecost is the day the Royal Family began with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the first day of the Church-age.

So the chronology of events is as follows:
Resurrection;
Forty days on the earth;
Ascension ten days before the Church-age began;
HE is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Prin: Both the ascension and session of Christ were accomplished in HIS resurrection body. Though coequal and coeternal with GOD, it was the true humanity of Christ that was seated at the right hand of the Father. These two doctrines of ascension and session combine to form the climax of the strategic victory of Christ in the Angelic Conflict.

Now, back in Joh 15, one of the most powerful passages on being in union with our LORD Jesus Christ is found in JOH 15:2, where our LORD  said; “Every branch in Me” that does not bear fruit, He takes away;

Notice, first of all, JOH 15:4, “Abide in Me, and I in you.” In JOH 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him,

Now look at ROM 5:19-20 where we can see if we can make the appropriate decision to believe in the LORD Jesus Christ; For as through the one man's disobedience [Adam’s original sin of eating from the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil] the many [human race] were made sinners [from Adam’s original sin], even so through the obedience of the One [our LORD Jesus Christ] the many [members of the human race who respond to the Gospel] will be made righteous [positionally and  eternally]. And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin [that is the old sin nature] increased, grace abounded all the more,

How did grace abound?

Here’s how! ROM 5:21-6:4, that, as sin [the sin nature] reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD. What shall we say then?

Are we to continue in sin [that is with the sin nature] that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin [that is to the sin nature] still live in it? Or [here’s that phrase again] do you not know that all of us who have been baptized [spiritually] into Christ Jesus have been baptized or identified into His death?

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism (identification) into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk.

Now, here comes an important phrase that the Apostle Paul calls: “kainotes zoe” which is translated: newness of life. It is made up of two Greek nouns. the noun for newness which is ‎kainotes (kahee-not'-ace) referring to something brand new not something fixed or repaired but something that is brand new – it is a brand-new life.

Next, we have the Greek noun for life or living in the newness of life which is the noun zoe referring to life more abundantly especially in times of trouble.

ROM 6:5-9, “For if we have become united (baptized or in union) with Him in the likeness of His death (that is His spiritual death or separation from GOD), certainly, we shall be also {in the likeness or in union with His resurrection. knowing that our old self [OSN] was crucified with Him, [again because of our union with HIM] that our body of sin [the entire body of the sin nature with its trend toward sin, evil, and creature credit] might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; or to the old sin nature. for he who has died [or has been separated from GOD spiritually] is freed from sin. Or freed from the bondage of the old sin nature. Now if we have died with Christ, [and we have in union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection] we believe that we shall also live with Him. knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.”

The word for knowing is the perfect active participle of the Greek verb eido which means to know, to find, to see, to perceive, to perceive universally, to notice, discern, or  discover.

ROM 6:10-12, For the death that He died [spiritually and separately] to sin [OSN], once for all [unlimited atonement]; but the life that He lives [that is the Zoe life], He lives to GOD. Even so consider yourselves [all of us] to be dead to the sin nature, but alive to GOD in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin [OSN] reign or rule in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts,

Look back at ROM 6:4 again; Therefore, we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk.

1. How was Christ raised from the dead through the glory of GOD the Father?
2. Through Divine power.

Notice we are to walk in “newness of our life” not oldness but “newness” of life.

1. What is this “newness of life”?
   A. It is the life of the New Creature who especially feeds on the word of GOD as manna. We are to realize “what” we are and “who” we are as New Creatures or as New Species. So, there are times that we need to remind ourselves of who we are!
2. Who are you?
3. You are the child of a King; MAT 6:10; MAT 5:20.
4. You are a member of the Royal Family of GOD; 1PE 2:5-9.

1PE 2:4-10, And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of GOD, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house (MD) for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to GOD through Jesus Christ.

For {this} is contained in Scripture: “Behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, and he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed or ashamed. This precious value, then, is for you who believe.

But for those who disbelieve, “The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very cornerstone. A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this {doom} they were also appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for GOD's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of GOD; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

You are the body of Christ; 1CO 12:4-31;
You are the future bride of Christ;
You are a Royal Priest of Christ;
You are a royal ambassador;
You are an heir to the throne;
You are a king.

So be who you are!
Be what you are!

ROYALTY!