Ephesians 1:17–19
By Pastor Brian Hui

Quick Glance: For Your Heart Today
Union with Christ is one of the most beautiful and overlooked truths of the Christian life. Like the lingering scent of Korean BBQ after a feast, our lives take on the essence of Jesus when we are united with Him. Through the Spirit, we are not only in Christ, but Christ is in us. This means that everything that belongs to Jesus—His love, righteousness, and power—is now our inheritance too. His victory becomes ours, His presence lives in us, and His power frees us from being stuck. You are not empty—you are filled. You are not alone—you are in Christ, and Christ is in you.

3 Takeaways

• Christ in you = power for transformation. You’re not stuck. God’s Spirit gives you real strength

to move forward.

• You in Christ = covering in righteousness. God sees you through the perfect love and

goodness of Jesus.

• Desire shapes your reality. Feed your desire for God, starve distractions, and pursue community that stirs holy longing.

If You Only Have a Moment
Take a breath and receive this truth today:
Inhale: “All that is Yours, Jesus…”
Exhale: “…You have made mine.”

Estimated reading time: 18 minutes

So, I love BBQ. Good ol' fashioned American BBQ—brisket, ribs, sausage. But I also love Mexican BBQ—al pastor, Jamaican BBQ—jerk chicken. But I’m Asian, so you know what I love the most: KBBQ! Any of you ever have KBBQ before? KBBQ is GOD’S BBQ. If you’ve never had KBBQ before, there’s a lot of familiar meats: beef short rib, spicy pork, pork belly. A delicious array of sauces: spicy, sweet, tangy. But the thing that makes KBBQ special? You cook it yourself.

You go to a KBBQ restaurant: every table has its own grill. You lay those marinated meats down, the meat sizzles, the smoke fills the air, and when it’s ready—you wrap it in crisp lettuce, with a smear of sauce, maybe some chili—then mmm in your mouth. KBBQ is GOD’S BBQ.

Now in most KBBQ spots today, they use gas grills. But in the old school spots—they don’t use gas grills—they use real wood charcoal. None of that wimpy gas grill stuff, but real wood charcoal, to get that real wood sizzle and that real wood smoke. And I remember back in the day—after dinner, my friends and I would all load up into the car—and a couple folks would go, “Awww, now we all smell like KBBQ!” And I’d go… “Why are you saying that like it’s a bad thing??”

But it was true, after being surrounded in the smoke of all that sizzling meat, after eating all that sizzling meat—our clothes smelled like KBBQ. Our hair smelled like KBBQ. Our breath smelled like KBBQ. Even our very skin smelled like KBBQ. We had taken in all that KBBQ into us—and with love, all that KBBQ essence had taken us into itself. And it was amazing! Marvelous, Hallelujah. KBBQ is God’s BBQ.

Well, Pastor Tammy tells me that you guys are going to be starting a new series on the book of Ephesians. So today, I want to highlight just one idea from the book of Ephesians. This idea is one of the most important ideas in the whole Bible. It’s an experience/reality that’s basic to not only what it means to be a Christian—but what it means to be human. It’s something that’s foreshadowed in the Old Testament, but talked about all over the New Testament. It’s a reality that begins when we give our lives to Christ. It’s something that, once we experience, begins to change our lives. And ultimately, something God uses to bring change to our world. It’s the experience of becoming ONE
with Christ.

It’s like the experience of KBBQ—where after a wonderful evening of grilling and eating KBBQ—your hair smells like KBBQ, your clothes smell like KBBQ, KBBQ is even coming out of your pores! To be one with Christ means being so immersed in Jesus and Jesus so immersed in us—that our love begins to smell more like His love, our hearts begin to beat more like His heart, His power begins to transform ours.

So today, I want to talk about what it means to be “one with Christ.”

Paul writes in Ephesians 1:17–19: “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power
for us who believe.”

Paul is praying for the Ephesians, but it’s also a prayer for us. First, Paul prays for our knowing. He prays that we will know Jesus—not just factual knowing, but experiential knowing. Like, there’s a difference between knowing about earthquakes because you did a school project, and knowing about
earthquakes because you’ve felt the earth beneath your feet shake and move. There’s a difference between knowing “up here” that your mom loves you—and knowing your mom loves you because you’ve experienced it! There’s factual knowing and there’s experiential knowing.

Paul prays that through the Holy Spirit, we’d come to know Jesus more experientially. That’s the beginning of becoming “one with Christ.”

But second, not only that we would know Jesus better, but that we would know our inheritance in Jesus better—that we would somehow know deeply, experientially, in here—the riches of our glorious
inheritance in Jesus Christ.

Now when I think about inheritance, I think about those movies, where someone has some long-lost rich uncle, and suddenly, they die and they get millions of dollars! I actually have a friend whose uncle died—left him a bunch of money—and so he quit his job, went back to school, and became an immigration lawyer so he could make a difference. Now some of you guys are like—go back to school? If I got an inheritance, I’d just quit and retire! We all wish we had some long-lost rich uncle now, don’t we?

But either way—you get the point: an inheritance is someone passing on all that they have to you. And that’s actually what happens when we are “one” with Christ. All that Christ has—once we believe—He gives to us! All that is Christ’s—now becomes ours. It is our inheritance. Which is stunning, when you think about it—because how much does Christ have? A lot! I mean, He’s God! He rose victorious from the dead! All that Christ has—is now for us—as our inheritance!

And so Paul prays: I wish you came to truly know, truly experience—the stunning wealth, the staggering riches Christ has passed on to you.

So what does Jesus give us? What is this inheritance?

Well, I think it’s helpful to think about it from two perspectives: there’s what we receive because we are “in Christ,” and what we receive because Christ is “in us.”

Let’s talk about what becomes ours when we’re “in Christ.” And we don’t talk a lot about what it means to be “in Christ.” We probably talk a lot more about Christ and His Spirit coming into us—which He does. But the Bible actually talks much more about us being “in Christ.”

In fact, when Paul prays that we really know/experience the riches of our glorious inheritance—in just the paragraphs before, he lists out all the things we receive because we’re “in Christ”: God blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. He chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless in His sight. In Christ we have the forgiveness of sins. We were marked in Christ with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. So what does it mean to be “in Christ”? One way to understand it is that once we give ourselves to Jesus, to be “in Christ” means Jesus becomes our representative—He now acts on our behalf. And so whatever He does, He does on our behalf.

So like Stephen Curry. Yeah, I know Stephen Curry isn’t Jesus. But you know, maybe he’s close—just kidding. Curry—man, one of the most electric players I’ve ever seen on the court. Circus shots for him are good shots—shots he uses to win games. Probably his most famous shot was the “BANG BANG” shot, where he pulled up from almost half court, sank the game-winning 3 against the OKC Thunder. And the play-by-play announcer goes: “Curry, way downtown. Bang! Bang! Oh what a shot from Curry!”

And what happens right after? The whole team rushes the floor—why? Because they won! But did the team make that game-winning shot? No. Even the bench players who didn’t even play that day rushed the floor. Did they even contribute to the game? No! And yet—when Curry won the game, the whole team won. His goal, his victory was credited to the entire team, even the bench players. And catch this—even us as fans. What do we say? “We won!” But did you win? Did I win? No. But as fans, as members of DubNation, we participate in Curry and the Warriors' victory. Curry acted as our representative, our hero. And his victory is our victory too. His victory is given to us too. We share “in his victory,” you might say. You might even say that we are winners “in Stephen Curry.”

And so in the same way, when we place our faith in Jesus—we join ourselves to Jesus, we’ve been raised with Him. His victory is now our victory. His goodness is now our goodness. All that He has, all that He’s done becomes ours too. Because we are now “in Him.”

But it goes even deeper...

How many of you guys love Disneyland? Well, Rankin Wilbourne, in his book Union with Christ, talks about a friend of his who actually used to be Mickey Mouse at Disneyland! Pretty cool—she got to put on the suit, go around and say hi to all the little kids, take pictures, and just bring joy to everyone at Disneyland! I mean I’m a total Disneyland scrooge, and even I crack a smile the moment I see Mickey!

One day, she began to learn more about what it means to be “in Christ.” And she began to reflect on her life, both in and outside of being Mickey. Growing up, she said, the world felt very conditional. If she was good—she’d be loved. But if she was bad—she’d be rejected. And for her, this just confirmed her deepest beliefs, that deep down, she was not worthy, accepted, or loved. And so she worked hard to do things that would get people to like and accept her. Even though deep down, she knew her flaws, she knew the insecurities beneath the surface.

But the moment she went inside that Mickey suit, she was like, wow. Instantly she was loved. She didn’t have to do a thing. All she did was climb inside that Mickey suit, and instantly she was somebody, instantly she was worthy and accepted. And not only that, but being inside that suit gave
her Mickey’s energy to share joy and happiness to others! It’s like being “in Mickey,” not only made her worthy of love, but it gave her the power to share Mickey’s love and joy to others!

Being “in Christ” is sorta like this woman who got to walk around in and as Mickey Mouse—but better! Because at the end of the day, that Mickey suit is just … a suit! It’s make-believe, temporary. But being in Christ is real, and permanent! And actually when we’re in Christ, we become our truest
selves! Because as people made in the image of God, we were made to be like Jesus!

But there are still many similarities between being “in Christ” and being “in Mickey.” Because the moment she got into that Mickey suit—what happened? All of Mickey’s honor and worth became
hers. But also Mickey’s goodness became hers too—because she suddenly felt animated to share love and joy to others! This is what the Bible calls “righteousness.” Mickey’s “righteousness” covered
her. Mickey’s righteousness became her righteousness, because she was “in” Mickey.

And that’s what Paul says happens to us when we are “in Christ.” “[God] chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless in his sight.” We’re not holy, or blameless—we’re highly imperfect, flawed, sinful people. I mean, if everyone else here found out about the things that went through our minds, the
shameful things we’ve done, the motivations behind even our best deeds—how many of us feel that we would still be accepted and loved?

On our own, we are far from holy and blameless! But once we give ourselves to Christ, His righteousness now covers our sin and shame. And now all God sees is the righteousness of Christ—which is the only point of view that truly matters, right? Not others’, or even my own point of view, but God’s!

This is something I need to be reminded of over and over again. Because I’m not perfect. If I’m honest, I’m very flawed. My heart isn’t always pure. I don’t always do the right thing. I overreact. Sometimes, I do bad things, hurtful things, shameful things. And some of us—the world reminds us every day that we aren’t worthy, we don’t measure up. Some of our families—all it was, all it is—is about how we must keep performing if we are to measure up.

But this is the Good News, friends—if you are in Christ. All the pleasure and pride God feels over Jesus—He now feels over you. All the glory and worth God sees in Jesus—He now sees in you. Now yes, God sees our sin, He’s not blind—God loves us too much to ignore our sin! But above all, He sees the righteousness of Christ.

A few months ago, I got a chance to visit our son Caleb’s church up in Oakland. And I didn’t realize it, but I was feeling pretty heavy about some failures in my life. But that morning, the pastor talked about how Jesus “clothes us” in His robes of righteousness. And I just began to tear up. Because for weeks, I’d felt like a failure. But in that moment, “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation” showed me—that all that time, what God saw was someone who made Him smile. Who am I—to make God smile? That is part of our inheritance in Christ.

So know this: in Christ—you are safe. In Christ—you are loved. In Christ—you are worthy of a purpose. In Christ—you are enough.

But you know, it’s not enough to just have God’s pleasure and love, because we still have this problem in our lives, right? Which is that we’re still sinful, still broken, still weak! And so that’s why it’s important for us to know not only what it means to be “in Christ,” but also what we receive because
Christ is “in us.”

In verse 19, another thing Paul prays for is that we would not only know Jesus better, know our inheritance, but also that we would know His incomparably great power. He prays that we would know
God's power in us.

Now, what is that power? Well, he kind of reveals the source of that power earlier in verse 13: “You were marked in Christ with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.”

When Jesus told His disciples that He was leaving, they got anxious. Because they didn’t understand. Things were just getting good. Why are you leaving? But He says a few things. First, He says, “Though I’m leaving, I will not leave you as orphans” (John 14:18). Which is weird—how could you
leave, and yet not leave? Second, He says, “It is for your good that I am going away” (John 16:7). Even weirder—what could be better than having Jesus literally by our side every day? Third, He explains how. Because when He leaves, in His place, He will send another Helper: the Holy Spirit, who will “dwell with you and be in you” (John 14:16–17).

What could possibly be better than having Jesus by our side every day? Having Jesus within us—wherever we are, wherever we go. God Himself within us. His very presence within us. His very life and power within us.

I mean, it’s one thing to be “in Stephen Curry,” or “in Mickey Mouse.” But imagine if the spirit of Stephen Curry was within you—imagine the 3s you’d make! Imagine if the spirit of Mickey was within you—imagine the joy you’d have and the joy you’d bring to others. But imagine an even greater Spirit
within you: the Spirit of Jesus within you. But if you’ve given your life to Christ, you don’t have to imagine, because it’s already true.

Once your life is in Christ, Christ’s life and Spirit now dwell within you! I love the way Rankin Wilbourne says it: The same Christ who overcame every temptation and was perfectly obedient—that Jesus is in you now. The Jesus who had compassion on the crowds and who healed the sick—that
Jesus is in you. The humble Jesus who led as a servant, who washed His disciples’ feet—He’s in you. The Jesus who repeatedly shattered racial barriers with His teachings and in His life—that Jesus is in you. The Jesus who suffered and loved to the end—He dwells in you. And the Jesus who was raised to new life—that Jesus is living in you right now!

“I pray that you would know the incomparably great power that is given to everyone who believes.”

Some of us need to hear this right now. One of the worst things in the world is feeling stuck. Stuck in a sin. Stuck in anger. Oppressive thoughts stuck in our heads. Stuck in unforgiveness and pain. One of the worst things in the world is feeling stuck.

Paul confesses to us in Romans 7:15, something that I think a lot of us can relate to: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

But friends, do you realize the incomparably great power already given to you? Do you realize the power of God that already resides within you? And this is not some New Age, like, “Oh, just look within yourself.” No, the Spirit of God was given to you, and now you have Him. The Spirit of God was given to you, and now His power is within you and available to you.

We just need to remember, we need to see, we need not get distracted, not get discouraged and give up. Instead, we need to draw closer to Jesus, deepen our union with Jesus, let Him into our lives and
let us join deeper into His life so we can come to know the true power given to us in Jesus Christ. Paul prays that “the eyes of our heart will be open, enlightened, so that we may know the hope of Jesus, the inheritance of Jesus, but also the incomparably great power that is given to us through the Holy Spirit.”

So before we close—the question I have for you is this: Do you want this kind of relationship with God? Do you even want this kind of intimacy with Christ—to be enfolded into His righteousness and love, but also have His power and presence enfolded into your life? Do you want this? Do you hunger for it? Do you want it?

The problem, of course, is we want many things. Sometimes, we want distracting things, sinful things. St. Teresa of Avila compares our journey with God to a journey of walking into a grand mansion. In the first room, when you walk in, it's like you believe in Jesus and you repent of your sins. It's a beautiful thing. But when you go deeper into the next room, you realize even though you've repented, you still desire distractions. You still desire sinful things.

I think this is what Jesus was trying to uncover with the woman at the well. Jesus talks to her about this Living Water—and she becomes curious, she leans in. And at first, He uncovers her thirst for water that didn’t require so much work to get. Then He uncovers her thirst for belonging, security, and love—she had been married five times, and the man she’s with now will live with her but won’t marry her. Until finally, He uncovers the desire beneath the desire beneath the desire—a desire only one Person can meet. And the Person is God. Once she realized who she was talking to—she gave her life to Him, then went to tell her whole town!

And I share that because I think deep down, we all desire God. I think we all desire to be closer to God. We all desire for God’s presence and power to be within us. I mean, we were made in His image—we were made to be one with God! As someone once said, “We were all made with a God- shaped hole in our heart that only God can fill.” It’s just our desires—we try to satisfy them with surface-level things, or they grow weak, or lead us astray.

And so I’d like to suggest three things we can do to nurture our desire for God.

First: feed your desire for God. Some of us, our desire for God is just this small. But the thing about desire is that the more you feed it, the more it grows.

I remember, when I started to eat healthier, the hardest thing was eating better foods. Can’t just eat grease, meat, and rice all the time. And at first, I tried going Wonder Pets-style and tried to just eat celery sticks and hummus. Honestly, that didn’t work. Because that’s gross. So instead, I ate what was high quality but still tasted good. And for me, one of the things that I actually really liked were the salads at Chipotle! Good clean food, and with so many delicious salsas, I didn’t even need oily dressing! And so over time, my desire for healthier, better food grew!

So however big or small your desire for God is—what feeds that desire? Is it singing worship songs? Is it learning about His Word? Is it journaling out your prayers? Is it serving and practicing your faith? Is it being silent and still in His presence? Is it staring out into the stars? Or the rising of the sun? Feed your desire for God.

Second: starve your desire for sin and distraction. Our desire for gratification and distraction is SO STRONG. It’s like—have you tried going to bed without looking at your phone first? But we all also have strong desires for our favorite sins. And the desire seems so strong, that it seems like forever, we will have to contend with this beast!

But in the same way that desire can be fed, it can also be starved. Believe it or not—the less you feed the beast of sin and distraction, over time—it will atrophy, it will weaken, it will shrink into a tiny pathetic little dog. Ask God for strength. His Spirit will help us! But over time, it will require less strength, because your desire will weaken.

Third: invest in a community that desires God (not just a “Christian” community). First, we were never meant to pursue and experience God alone! But second—and this is hard for us Americans to believe—but most of our desires aren’t innate!

You think you think that girl or boy is pretty or cute because you were born to think that style, that hair, that body looks cute? You think you like shooting 3s because you were born with a desire to shoot 3s? No, that’s the influence of Steph Curry! You think you like KBBQ because you were born with the desire to like KBBQ? All these desires are socially influenced and formed.

I know that’s insulting to believe—because as Americans, we want to believe we are all our own individuals and our individual selves. But most of our desires, we learned just from being in community with others!

The question is—what desires do we want to foster? Which desires do we want to chase? Desires for what lead us to God? Desires that lead us to our truest selves in Christ? Or ones that pull us away from God, distract us from God, and all that He desires for us?

Let’s feed our desire for God. Starve our desire for sin and distraction. And invest in a community of other people that desire God too.

Do you realize the love that is available to you in Jesus Christ? Do you realize the hope, the wealth available to you in Christ? Do you realize the power available to you in Christ? That’s all found in Christ. We just have to want it.

Jesus, we come to you. And Lord, I believe that we're all hungry for you—some way, some form. And so I pray, Lord, that you would meet us, that you would feed us. But I also pray, Lord, that you would protect us from distraction, protect us from sin—the things that draw us away from you, Lord. Because, Lord, we know you have a vision, a dream, a goal, a desire for us. Let nothing get in the way, Lord. So this week, I pray that we would take a step closer to you—and then another step—and then another step. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.