Made Alive In Christ Series

Made Alive in Christ

Ephesians 2:1-10

Intro

Slide

Have you heard the one about a plane that is about to crash? It has a pilot, a scientist, a pastor and a student, but there are only 3 parachutes.

The pilot, knowing first that the plane is going to crash, takes a parachute reasoning, that it takes years to become a pilot and he is worth more than the others alive.

The scientist takes a parachute thinking he is the smartest and he jumps.

That leaves the pastor and the student.

The pastor, having Christ, knows that he will be with the Lord and says to the student to take the last parachute. The student responds that there is no need; there were still 2 parachutes left because the scientist jumped with the students back pack!

Transition

Have you ever thought you had the real thing, only to find out that it wasn’t real at all?

The scientist jumped thinking he had a real parachute.

Maybe you had what you thought was a gold ring, but it kept tarnishing!

Maybe your boyfriend gave you a diamond, but then it turned out to be cubic zirconia!

You thought what you had was real, but then found out otherwise and you were probably sorely disappointed.

Has that ever happened to you?

I would argue that this has happened to all of us at some point.

I would argue that there was a time that many of us here have thought we were alive, and living “good” lives, but only later found out the truth.

And there are probably some here today that believe they are alive and living a good life. Well, if you are not in Christ, you are not really living the life God created for us to live. It is a fake. You are actually dead.

Don’t believe me?

Well, let’s turn to Ephesians 2:1-10

Slide

And see what Paul has to tell us about life outside of Christ so we can know the reality of our situation outside of Christ and hear How God works to give us life.

Let’s read Ephesians 2:1-10

Ephesians 2:1-10

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 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. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Pray

So, Paul starts out helping us see the reality of our situation before being in Christ.

He tells us that before being in Christ,

We were Dead

Slide

Ephesians 2:1 - As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

You thought you were living life, when you were really the walking dead!

Just like a zombie, you could move and were physically still breathing and going about in this world, but you were spiritually dead, and just didn’t know it.

This death you were in is caused by “transgressions and sins.”

Here we see the truth of

Slide

Romans 6:23 – “The wages of sin is death.”

Now many people live, if you want to call it that, thinking they have life, when they don’t.

They try to improve their life by working, accumulating money, seeking pleasure and comfort, all the while still being dead. This is all of us, in fact, before we are in Christ.

Now, let me ask you.

If you were dead and buried in the ground, would you rather

have a $2000 suit on in your casket OR

be wearing an old shirt?

The answer is It doesn’t matter because you are dead!

But these are the types of decisions that the person without Christ is going through.

They are trying to look better and feel better, but they are dead.