Heavenly Status and Heavenly Benefits

"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."

- The verbs used here are in past tense because they are already a reality with certainty. "God raised us up with Christ" refers to our spiritual resurrection with Christ (our bodily resurrection is in the future). We (Christ's followers) are eternally in union with Him. "Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized  into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him." (Romans 6:3-8) New life starts here on earth and continues for eternity. We have been identified with Jesus Christ, not only in His death, but also in His resurrection and in His ascension to the right hand of the Father. We've been rescued from spiritual death and given spiritual life. 
- "Seated" refers to the position we have in Christ, as partakers of His accomplished redemption and sharers in His victory. What an honor, privilege, joy, and security it is to be seated with Him! Our citizenship is in Heaven. "How I stand—and walk—depends on where I sit; and I am seated with Christ in the heavenlies! The Queen of England exercises certain powers and privileges because she sits on the throne. The President of the United States has privileges and powers because he sits behind the desk in the oval office of the White House. The believer is seated on the throne with Christ. We must constantly keep our affection and our attention fixed on the things of heaven, through the Word and prayer, as well as through worship and service. We can enjoy “days of heaven upon the earth” (Deut. 11:21) if we will keep our hearts and minds in the heavenlies." (Warren Wiersbe)
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:1-3) Heaven, not the world, should now hold our affections.
- Our intimate union with Christ grants us Heavenly status and Heavenly benefits. Through our spiritual union with the exalted Christ, we have already been given every spiritual blessing that belongs to and comes from the Heavenly realms. The "Heavenly realms" means that these blessings are eternal, not temporal. In Christ, we receive all the benefits of knowing God--salvation, adoption as His children, forgiveness, gifts of the Spirit, power to do God's will, eternal life with Christ, and so much more. "Glorious prospects await those who have trusted Christ for salva­tion. God is not done with us yet. The best is yet to be." (P R Van Gorder) 
- The reason God made us alive with Christ (Eph. 2:5), raised us up with Christ, and seated us with Him in the Heavenly realms is that He loves us (Eph. 2:4) and the purpose is that He might demonstrate the incomparable, immeasurable riches of His grace and kindness in the coming ages. God has made redeemed sinners an eternal object lesson of His grace and kindness. From the moment of salvation throughout the ages to come, God's grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus never end. The Body of Christ, consisting of unworthy sinners, is to be an everlasting demonstration of God's amazing grace, mercy, love, and kindness. "That He could love us when we were dead like Lazarus, in trespasses and sins; that He has linked us in the bonds of indissoluble union with His Son; that He had made it possible for us to share His Resurrection, His Triumph, and His Throne; that we, the poor children of earth and sin, should be admitted into the inner circle of Deity--this will be, to all eternity, the mightiest proof of the exceeding riches of His grace...."The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork"; but the glory of the position and character of the saints, contrasted with the degradation from which they were raised, will be accounted in coming ages a more extraordinary exemplification of the riches of Divine grace than the splendour of the heavens is of the wealth of His skill." (F B Meyer)
- Prayer: Father, I am forever grateful that You rescued me, made me alive with Christ, raised me up with Christ, and seated me with Christ in the Heavenly places! I'm overwhelmed with awe and gratitude for all the marvelous benefits I have in Christ. O how You love me! Your grace and kindness towards me are measureless and endless. Please help me to reflect Your love, grace, mercy, and kindness to the world around me. Please enable me to focus my heart and mind on things above and keep investing in eternity. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

"Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits!" Psalm 103:2