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And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6-7)

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Between the \\u201cby grace you have been saved\\u201d of verse five and the \\u201cby grace you have been saved\\u201d of verse eight, comes this powerful picture of what that grace means.

Not only has God saved us from the death of sin and evil by \\u201craising us\\u201d up to a new, resurrection life in the life of Christ, but he has raised us all the way up. \\xa0We usually stop the good news of the gospel after we\\u2019ve said the words death and resurrection. \\xa0But Paul doesn\\u2019t. \\xa0He says we\\u2019ve been raised all the way\\u2014raised up with Christ through his resurrection, ascension, and his enthronement. \\xa0We are with him in the heavenly realms, seated with him in the throne room of heaven where all things dwell under the rule and reign of our King Jesus. \\xa0We are there, seated not under him, but with him. \\xa0As if we were his siblings, co-heirs to the throne. \\xa0

That\\u2019s a powerful place to be. \\xa0And it rhymes with everything that has come before. \\xa0Like in chapter 1:3 where Paul praises the God who has \\u201cblessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.\\u201d \\xa0Yes\\u2014here we are, seated with Christ in the heavenly realms between grace upon grace. \\xa0Or in chapter 1:20-21 where we hear of God\\u2019s power for us, which is the same as that which \\u201craised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.\\u201d \\xa0

It\'s a beautiful picture of unassailable power\\u2014a perfectly complete salvation. \\xa0Such a contrast from those opening words of \\u201cdead in your transgressions.\\u201d \\xa0

And yet: I write this sitting in the church at 61 Mohawk Road West. \\xa0I can assure you that my feet are firmly on the ground of planet earth this cold and cloudy day as the trees look increasingly bare. \\xa0Paul\\u2019s vision of us with Jesus in the heavenly realms doesn\\u2019t quite line up with reality, does it? \\xa0

Or does it? \\xa0

I think Paul invites us here to see beyond what we can see. \\xa0In the eyes of God: all of this \\u201craising up\\u201d is already accomplished. \\xa0It is as good as done. \\xa0His promise is sure, his grace irresistible, and his power complete. \\xa0Nothing can steal us out of his hand or out of the future with King Jesus that Paul paints. \\xa0

The challenge is holding onto this vision of our true, royal salvation reality amidst the pain, sorrow, and suffering of still sin-broken world. \\xa0I think that\\u2019s why Paul paints the vision so starkly. \\xa0

I have to think of the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers movie where Gandalf shows up in King Theoden\\u2019s court under a gray cloak. \\xa0He is announced as Gandalf the Grey and hobbles forward on the arm of a companion as if an old man. \\xa0He approaches the bewitched king as if to set him free from Saruman\\u2019s spell. \\xa0But the king just laughs: \\u201cyou have no power here, Gandalf the Grey\\u201d he cackles. \\xa0Then Gandalf takes off his cloak, revealing the White robes of his newly established power as Gandalf the White\\u2014immediately the light shines forth and the powers of darkness are quickly dispelled (you can watch it here).

So it is here in Ephesians 2 and in our lives. \\xa0Remember that underneath the grey, shabby veneer of the darkness and difficulty of our lives, a truer reality exists. \\xa0It is the bright and powerful reality of who we are and what we have in Jesus Christ and his power: the incomparably great riches of his grace that saves us and gives us the unshakable promise of a future.

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