"Saints in Christ Jesus"

Text: Philippians 1
11 January 2014

THE UPWARD CALL OF GOD: “Saints in Christ Jesus”

1. How does God regard those who are in Christ Jesus?

2. A short list: –

a) Children of God          John 1:12

b) Brethren of the Lord Jesus Christ          Hebrews 2:11-12

c) Fellow citizens          Ephesians 2:19

d) Members of the household of God          Ephesians 2:19

e) Saints          Ephesians 2:9; Philippians 1:1b

3. The Concept of “saints”

a) Lexical meaning: “holy”

b) Theological significance:

i) We are holy in God’s sight

ii) We are to be holy

c) The idea of being a saint is closely associated with the idea of holiness

4. The Concept of Holiness in the Old Testament          Leviticus 20:7

a) Consecrate yourselves

b) Be holy

c) You shall keep My statutes and perform them

d) I am the LORD who sanctifies you

5. The Concept of holiness in the New Testament

a) Justified freely by His grace          Romans 3:24

b) Justified by faith          Romans 3:28

c) Justified by His blood          Romans 5:9

d) Imputed righteousness          Romans 4:22

6. Challenge: To live as saints in the Lord Jesus Christ

a) Appreciation of our justification in Christ

b) Behaving as people who have been redeemed

c) Confessing Christ as our Saviour and Lord

d) Determined to live as people who are consecrated to the Lord

e) Endeavouring to serve the Lord as His bondservants

f) Faithful in all that has been entrusted to us

BIBLE MEMORY VERSE

Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:11