We are going to begin a 3 part series based on a book by Watchman Nee, titled SIT WALK STAND.
In his book, Watchman Nee teaches about 3 aspects of a Christian’s life that will are fundamental to a successful walk with the Lord, taken from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. When put into practice, you can expect to see your spiritual growth explode. Remember, it is the application of the principles that produce the results.
If the life of a Christian is to be pleasing to God, it must be properly adjusted to Him in all aspects. Too often we place the emphasis in our lives upon the application of this principle to some single detain of our behavior or of our work for Him.
Often we fail therefore to appreciate either the extent of the adjustment called for or, at times, even the point from which it should begin.
But God measures everything, from start to finish, by the perfections of His Son.
Scripture clearly affirms that it is God’s good pleasure “to sum up all things in Christ, in whom also we were made a heritage.” (Ephesians 1:9-11)
Ephesians naturally falls into two sections, a doctrinal and a practical.
The doctrinal section, chapters 1 to 3, is concerned mainly with great facts of the redemption, which God has wrought for us in Christ.
The practical section, chapters 4-6, then go on the present us with the demands, in terms of Christian conduct and zeal, that God is making upon us in the light of that redemption.
The two halves are closely related, but it will be seen that the emphasis in each is different.
Further, the second and more obviously practical half of the letter may gain conveniently be subdivided according to its subject matter into a first long section from chapter 4:1 to chapter 6:9, and a second and much shorter section from chapter 6:10 to the end.
¨ The first part deals with our life in the midst of the world.
¨ The second half deals with our conflict with the devil.
In Ephesians, we find the highest truths concerning the Christian life.
The first half of the letter reveals our life in Christ to be one of union with Him in the highest heavens.
The second half shows us in very practical terms how such a heavenly life is to be lived by us down here on the earth.
There is one key word in each section to express its central or governing idea:
¨ Ephesians 2:6 “SIT”
· This is the key to the first section and the secret of a true Christian experience.
· God had made us to “sit” with Christ in the heavenly places.
· Every Christian must begin his spiritual life from that place of “rest.”
¨ Ephesians 4:1 “WALK”
· It is used as an expression of our life in the world.
· We are challenged there to display in our Christian walk, our conduct that is in keeping with our high calling.
¨ Ephesians 6:11 “STAND”
· This is our attitude toward the enemy.
· It is expressive of our place of triumph.
KEY WORDS IN EPHESIANS:
1. OUR POSITION IN CHRIST: “SIT” (verse 2:6)
2. OUR LIFE IN THE WORLD: “WALK” (verse 4:1)
3. OUR ATTITUDE TO THE ENEMY: “STAND” (verse 6:11)
The life of the believer always presents these 3 aspects:
¨ To God
¨ To Man
¨ To the Satanic powers
To be useful in God’s hand, a man must be properly adjusted in respect of all 3:
¨ His position
¨ His life
¨ His warfare
He falls short of God’s requirements if he underestimates the importance of any one of them.
We are going to take a deeper look into each of the three and see how they interrelate.
But the most important thing is the application of the principles we are about to learn in our daily life. We can say, “What a wonderful study,’ and never get the full benefit of what we studied. It is as we put the principles into practice that we begin to get understanding. As we get understanding, and a revelation of how the principles work, that is when we will begin to see our minds transformed and our growth in spiritual maturity.
The first section we are going to study is “SIT.”
