I've rambled on long enough, in chapter 16 of Romans. And there's a couple words here I want to concentrate on tonight in chapter 16 and verse 7. These salutations, as Paul brings this letter to this Gentile church, he brings it to a close. He recognizes many people that were helpers and those that were assisting him in preaching the gospel. Paul was used of God in a mighty way. He says in verse 7, Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also We're in Christ before me. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your word tonight as we gather here to worship you. The reason we're here, Lord, is to lift you up and to praise your name as we've sung and And as the prayers have gone forth, and Lord, as we meet here, we thank you for those that are here. We do pray for those that are on our prayer list, many who are sick, others who are hindered, many who are traveling. Just be with them, Lord, and watch over them. Bring them back to us and heal them according to your will. Of course, in Jesus Christ's name we pray, amen. I have something here tonight that it revived my heart, it warmed my heart, and it should warm the coldest heart of any believer. I want to talk to you about your union with Christ. If you're a child of God tonight, if you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have a union with Christ. You are in Christ, as Paul told us here about his kinsmen. If you're not, you can be. You can repent. You can confess Jesus Christ and trust Him as your Savior. And you can be in Christ. He will receive you. And there are many blessings. Of course, we don't have time in our life to go into all the blessings that we have as being in Christ. But in this seventh verse of Romans chapter 16, we see that Paul wrote to the saints at Rome He said, Salute, Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners who are of note among the apostles. First of all, he called them his kinsmen, and I believe that even though these men had Gentile names, they were probably two Jews, and he identified them as his kinsmen. Then the names he used were, of course, as I said, Gentile names, but they were Paul's kinsmen in the flesh, and they were Jewish men, perhaps members of his own family. And what a great joy it is, indeed, when those who are blood kin, and those who are children, and relatives are partakers with us of the grace of God. What a blessing it is to have those in our own families who know Christ. And, you know, your family gatherings come together pretty good when you all trust Jesus Christ and you have a really good time of fellowship together. But, and he said also, not only were these two men Paul's kinsmen, but he says that they also suffered imprisonment with him. And I think because of the gospel, that's why Paul was in prison, because he preached the gospel. He was one that wasn't ashamed to preach. He said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It's the power of God unto salvation. And he preached it everywhere he went. And it wasn't very well received, even among the Jews. And so in Scripture, there's only two places of imprisonment mentioned where Paul was held in bonds at Philippi and Rome. But he tells us in 2 Corinthians 11 and verse 23 that he was actually imprisoned frequently. If you read that verse, and he says, there are the ministers of Christ. I speak as a fool. I am more. In labors, more abundant. In stripes, above measure. In prisons, more frequent. In death, ought. So you understand, Paul was indeed in prison, and that, no doubt, for the preacher of the gospel. And at least one time, maybe more, these two men were co-prisoners or cohabit of the prison that he was in. And some of the ancient writers even suggest that that Paul was imprisoned at least seven times. And at least, as I said, on one occasion at least, these devoted, faithful men were imprisoned with him. And it says here they were men of note. They were recognized as men that were respected among the apostles. And they were of note among the apostles. That's quite a salutation. And these two men were well-known among the apostles and highly respected preachers of the gospel. I believe they were messengers of God to the churches. They were self-sacrificing. They were devoted, faithful men. They were used of God in their generation. They were men blessed of God who were made a blessing to many. And it says now look in the last the last part of this verse. He says in verse 7 Salute Andronicus and Junia my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners who are of note among the Apostles who also Notice this were in Christ before me now. I don't believe he was talking about them being brought to faith by God, granted faith before him, not necessarily, that they were probably brought, come to know Christ as their Savior about perhaps the same time, but no matter what, they were in Christ with him. I want to look at these two words closely. When Paul says that Andronicus and Junia were in Christ before him, he probably is simply telling them that they were converted by the grace of God before He was. And the blessing that has to go with that. This great blessing to be saved, it is indeed a great blessing to be saved by the grace of God early in life. and not waste many years. But each of God's elect are saved by His grace at the exact appointed time of love for them. This matter, though of great importance and blessedness, the matter is actually being in Christ. And I ask, are you in Christ? Am I in Christ? So to be sure you understand this, all who are in Christ are one. We're one in Christ, we're one with Christ, and we're all equals in Christ. Equally loved from the everlasting, equally chosen, equally blessed, equally accepted, and equally holy in Christ. In this salutation given, in those in Romans 16, to that Gentile church, Paul, He speaks of our union with Christ 11 times. It must be an important subject. And he does it almost casually, as something that all believers should know. He says in verse 2, in the Lord. And he says in verse 3, in Jesus Christ. He tells us in verse 7, in Christ before me, as we just read. In verse 8 he says, in the Lord. In verse 9, helpers in Christ. In verse 10, approved in Christ. In verse 11, in the Lord. In verse 12, two times he says, in the Lord. And then in verse 13, in the Lord. In verse 22, in the Lord. So this is indeed a position of great importance. All grace and all salvation, listen, all blessedness is in Christ. And all that the Triune God has done for us, all that He has given to sinners, and all that He requires of sinners is in Christ. That's the main point tonight. All spiritual blessings, all those things are in Christ. All covenant mercies, all election is in Christ. Predestination is in Christ. Forgiveness is in Christ. Acceptance with God as Christ is our mediator is in Him. Truth and knowledge are in Christ. Eternal inheritance of God's Saints is in Christ. So we know as God the Holy Spirit will Enable me. I want to talk to you about our being in Christ I think you've got the message so far the greatest mystery and in the universe is the mystery of our union with Christ And you look how that this is presented to us by the Spirit of God if you if you turn to the letter to the Ephesians in chapter 5 It's likened unto, as many of you already know where I'm going, in Ephesians chapter 5, it's likened unto a marriage. The marriage of a groom and a bride. Christ being our groom and we being the bride of Christ. In chapter 5 of Ephesians, we'll start down in verse 30. It says, For we are members of his body and of his flesh and of his bones. For this cause shall man leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they too shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself, and the wife see that she reverence her husband." So here we read that this is a great mystery. It's something that cannot be known except by the revelation of God. in the blessed experience of saving grace. This is something altogether hidden from human knowledge. It's above human reason. We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. Truly, this is indeed a great mystery, is it not? You know, I do not hesitate to say that this is one of the most wonderful and meaningful statements to be found in the Bible, in all the pages of inspiration. It sets forth the mystery of mysteries, the very substance of the loftiest doctrine of divine revelation. It's the living, loving, and lasting union that we have of Christ, that we have in Christ, and we have of Christ and His redeemed through His churches. So we understand, be sure you shall, I'm sure we shall never, at least in this world, fathom the depths of this great sea. He who handles such a subject as this need to be filled with the fullness of God. And I readily confess that my inability to understand, let alone preach on this subject, it's vast. It's too much. It's too great for me. But this is a statement that must not be looked upon with just the eyes of a cold theological orthodoxy, which might make us content to say, well, yes, it's a great mystery. It's a great blessing to be in Christ and just go and leave it there. This is manna from heaven. It's to be tasted. It's to be eaten. It's to be digested and lived upon day by day and hour by hour. This is something we need to consider when we rise up in the morning. I'm in Christ. I'm bought with a price. I am His. He is mine. And this is the way we conduct ourselves as children of God, day by day, hour by hour. And if all we learn from this message is all that I now teach you or show you in this short message. We've only maybe gained a tenth of what the riches are in this statement. This statement, we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bone. That's to be in Christ. When I'm alone, and I'm there, and I'm thinking upon these things and preparing a message on such passages as these, I get along with God, and I pray that he would give me understanding. And you, as you worship, and you go into your prayer closet, or you go get along with your heavenly husband in worship, because he is real, and he loves you, and he cares for you, and he wants communion with you. You're in Christ, and he is in you. And just like Mary, let's set at the Savior's feet. Let's leave all the cares of the day behind and drink in the love of Christ, which is like wine upon the leaves, well refined. That is to be found in this inspired declaration. What a blessing to know that we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. This is like a stream that flowed down Israel's smitten rock. It flows with neither from Edom or Amalek, but for the chosen seed alone. If you're not joined to Christ by living faith, And that I have to say, this will just be sounding brass and tinkling cymbals. I beg you, repent and trust him now. It is said, concerning the members of Christ alone, we are members of his body. Concerning the members of Christ alone, we're members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. And it's said particularly to the bride of Christ, to those who are faithful members of one of the Lord's New Testament Baptist churches. In Ephesians chapter 1, you look back at the beginning of this epistle as he's writing there to the church of Ephesus, and he talked about the marriage being an example or a symbol of us being in Christ. It says, In verse 3, it says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ, and in heavenly places in Christ, according as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy. and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. He's writing to the members there at Ephesus, the church at Ephesus, and we see it's Is this all doctrinal theory? Is that all it is? It was for me for many years, just, you know, I believed the doctrines of grace, and I even taught them in Sunday school as a young man. And I knew these teachings, and I'd studied my Bible, and I was taught about the doctrines of grace in the local church, but I had not yet come to know Christ. knowing election, knowing these doctrines will not save you, knowing Christ will. And that's where we're headed tonight, hopefully. If it's just doctrinal theory, it's nothing. Okay. Okay. So as we try to go on here, We understand that it is a blessed reality of life, that we're chosen in everlasting love, we're predestinated unto eternal salvation, we're accepted into Beloved as it's taught here, we're redeemed by His precious blood. are blessed with all spiritual blessings. We have the forgiveness of sins. We have the riches of His grace. And I want you to examine yourselves and see if you have these things, and if this is that you are in the faith, because it's important that you know these things. To be a child of God, you've got to make your calling and your election sure. What is the ground of your confidence before God? Do you trust the Lord Jesus Christ? Is he made of God unto you wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption? If so, God has chosen you. Christ has redeemed you and you are born of God and you're accepted and beloved. Among all those spiritual blessings, none is better, none is sweeter or more blessed than the fact that is beyond all question. It's the fact that it's undoubted assurance that you have. You are. in Christ, you're one with Him if you have that faith, if you have these blessings. All who are members of the Lord's New Testament Church, the Lord God has chosen and the Spirit of God says we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. I pray God and the Holy Spirit who caused Paul to write these words would write them before our hearts and cause us to rejoice in our union with Christ. They're not a more blessed assembly on earth right now than this one right here. Because he says, where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Think of that. He says, I am with you. He is with us. There is between Jesus Christ and his chosen redeemed bride, there is between his churches a sacred eternal union by which we are one with God's own Son. In the Revelation, chapter 19, verse 7, it says, Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. And he said unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said unto me, These are the true sayings of God. Remember what Paul told the Ephesians? Husbands, love your wives, Ephesians 5.25. Love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. Verse 29 of Ephesians 5 says, For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourisheth it and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church. So I want to try to give you the answer to just two questions tonight as we conclude this. What is this union? And how does our union with Christ, how is it secure? How do we secure that? The union, first of all, is what they say is a great mystery. We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. The Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ is called by the Apostle, the Great Mystery of Godliness. As Christ left the Royals of Heaven, He came to this sin-cursed Earth and was born of a virgin, and that to grow up in human flesh. He robed Himself in human flesh and lived among human people, sinners, yet without sin. Why did He do this? The apostle says it's a great mystery of godliness. And this great mystery of grace makes us members of his body. It's a mystical body, of course. It's a mystery that we see. Each and every local New Testament Baptist church is a type of the body of Christ. And we are members of that body if we are members of that church. Since Paul himself calls this a mystery, I think an old commentator, Charles Hodge, is correct in stating that if we were able to explain it, it would dispel that mystery. So we can't really explain it. It makes the doctrine talk. If we're able to teach it perfectly to where you understand it, that teaching must be false, because we realize the impossibility of fully answering that question. So I'll simply give you a few precious truths that are plainly revealed here in the book of God. We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. You know, as I read these words, and perhaps you do, I recall the events recorded In the second chapter of Genesis, in verse 23, if you want to look at that, in case you don't remember. Genesis 2, in verse 23, after God had presented all the animals to Adam, and remember he said he could not find a helpmate, he could not find a helpmate that was suitable for him. And Adam gave names to all the cattle and the fowl there, verse 20, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam, there was not a fowl to help me for him. So verse 21 says, the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept. Y'all know the account. And he took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones. That's familiar, isn't it? Flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Mormon because she was taken out of man. So therefore shall man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife. So as Adam said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, what Adam did And what Adam said, what did he mean when he said these words? What did he mean? And it is certain that our great husband of our souls must mean the same thing, only in an emphatically higher and spiritual sense. What Adam meant, this is the same nature. The first thing that's evident that these words is the fact that Christ and his church are of the same nature. And when Adam looked at Eve, he did not regard her as a stranger. He did not regard her as a creature of a different mind and nature, as he did look upon the other animals. But he said, she is bone of my bones, she is flesh of my flesh. And one very simple meaning of those words is that she was of the same nature and race as Adam himself. You know, understand that there is a very blessed spiritual truth here. The Lord Jesus Christ has taken upon himself our nature. We rejoice to declare that Christ Himself, who is God over all and blessed forever, that He is indeed the Eternal Son of the Eternal Father, that He thought it not robbery to be equal with God, because we will worship our Redeemer as our sovereign Creator, without whom was not anything made that was made. He is the very God of God. And yet, the joy of our salvation is this, because our Savior's great love for us, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, took our nature into union with Himself. He took upon the seat of Abraham, lower than the angels. In Hebrews 2, verse 11, for both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one. for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren. For verily he took not upon him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore, in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren." What a blessing that God would do that, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation, what, for the sins of the people. The very nature that we have upon this earth was once carried among us by Christ Jesus, as he lived upon this earth 30 some years, and is now seated upon the throne and floor. Can you get your mind around that? There's a man in glory, flesh and bone. His name is Jesus Christ. If there's one, there can be two. There can be 2,000, there can be 2 billion. This is where this comes to be so important. Remember, Christ is not man-deified, and he is not God-humanized. He is perfectly God, and at the same time, perfectly man. He is the God-man. He is our blessed kinsman-redeemer. It was necessary that the Redeemer be God, or else He could not satisfy an infinite, holy, just, and wrathful God. It's necessary that He be a man, because man who sins must be punished. To dwell upon this thought for a moment, Christ Jesus is a man, like unto his brethren in all things, except one. He was sinless, incapable of sin. He was born of a virgin as a man. He was carried for nine months, like any baby was carried in the mother's womb. He knew the depressions of our nature. He knew the weakness, the frailty of our flesh. The Bible says He was tempted in all points like as we are without sin. He knew all the pains of our nature. He knew poverty. He knew hunger. He knew thirst. He knew sorrow. He knew reproach. He knew slander and treachery. Jesus Christ was tossed on the stormy sea of life. For him the ground brought forth briars and thistles. He suffered, he ate, he labored, he rested, he tired, he wept, he rejoiced, just as we do. But mark this one glorious exception, he knew no sin. Had no taint of original sin, being born of a woman. Had no spot of actual transgression. Yet he who knew no sin was made sin for us. else he could never have been justly punished for our sin as our substitute. And as a real man, the Lord died in our place. He was buried and is now ascended into heaven. As a real man, he did these things. There's a poet that wrote something about this. I'll give you his name, but I can't remember. I don't know if I ever read it. There was a real man who once on Calvary died, and streams of blood and water ran down from his wounded side. There was a real man there upon Calvary who was the God-man, making intercession. for the sins of his people. That's why they called him Emmanuel, Jesus. He is exalted above all things, who is bone of bone, our bones, and flesh of our flesh. Since there's one man in heaven, like unto us, there's hope for all. Now, by the mighty operation of God, listen, as he has made, was made your nature, and he's made your nature his, and his nature yours, Peter says in chapter one, second Peter, verse four, whereby are given unto us, what, exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. We are carnal, we're sold under sin, but Christ has made us spiritual, and that by divine creation. Therefore, the Bible says, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. And he tells us that old thing. He tells us old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. The new birth is nothing less than Christ being formed in you. That's what it is, a new creature. It's nothing less than the sovereign creation of the life of Christ in you. Christ in you, Colossians chapter 127, as Paul told them. Christ in you, the hope of glory. And you understand, now, as spiritual men and women, we have a new nature, a divine nature, a new man created in righteousness and true holiness. He has made us whole, making us body, soul, and spirit in the complete restoration of manhood. You cry out to God in prayer, as did your Savior, our Savior, when he was here. Your meat and drink is to do the will of your father. In agony of soul, you strive against sin. Your heart beats with love for God. Your life is marked by one goal. You long for God's glory above all things. Father, glorify thy name is what Christ said. Your life is marked by one goal. It's to glorify God. You cannot be satisfied until you awaken the likeness of Him after whose image you were created. Is this the case with you? Are you born again? The Bible tells us we don't know what we shall be. We're not in 1 John, but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him. Do you long for that day? When this body is put off, we become one with Him in reality, there in heaven. What a blessed truth. We are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. He bears our nature in heaven, and we bear His nature upon the earth. I'm in Christ, and Christ is in me, and everything's alright. I pray you can say that tonight. If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, let me introduce Him to you. Trust in Him. He came to this earth born of a virgin. He lived completely fulfilling the law for the love of God and for the love of His people. When He was born, He looked to the cross and He was satisfied. as he satisfied our father, which is in heaven. Do you trust him tonight? I pray you do. May God bless you. Brother Ellis.